'Dyslexic Community Worldwide' Helps Egyptian Children with Dyslexia

Dyslexic Community Worldwide (@dyslexic_cw) is a new educational platform catered to those with dyslexia. According to Sarah Sedky, founder of DCW and a dyslexic herself, dyslexia goes largely unnoticed in the Egyptian educational system, so she’s rolled up her sleeves and dedicated herself to offering the help she desperately needed when she was younger.

Through DCW, Sedky spreads awareness and hopes to one-day implement dyslexic-specific programmes in every Egyptian school. The platform provides helpful tips, studying methods, and coping mechanisms that have personally helped Sekdy as well as offering one-on-one consulting with struggling students. Within the coming months, she’s also going to be releasing dyslexia-specific modules for students to use at home, which will be in accordance with the ‘Nessy’ programme, a renowned global system proven to help children, especially those with dyslexia, learn to read and spell with confidence.

Sedky notes that the lack of educational support for children with dyslexia is as big an issue in the local private school system as it is in public schools. In fact her own difficulties arose while enrolled in a local private school.  “The school I was at didn’t have any learning support or understanding of it,” Sedky tells #CairoScene. “They just thought I was a lazy, stupid and helpless student and constantly felt the need to remind me that I will never get anywhere in life.” 

After years of struggling, Sedky’s family eventually packed their bags and took to Dubai to find her a school that could more readily meet her needs.

“I felt alone for the longest time because I was always surrounded by people who didn’t understand my dyslexia and who didn’t have the same struggles I did,” Sedky says. “But when I found an entire group of dyslexics in my new school in Dubai, it opened up my whole world and I felt like I was part of something incredible, a group of gifted people. Talking about it made me feel like my dyslexia is my advantage and it’s what's going to help me reach all of my goals--and I did. I reached them.” 

Through this potentially powerful digital platform Sedky now hopes to give a new generation of Egyptian children the support and help she once struggled to find.