News article

A Second Southland Organisation Receives Dyslexia-Friendly Quality Mark (DQFM)

Dyslexia Awareness and Support Growing in Southland.

Dyslexia awareness and support is growing in Southland with a second organisation gaining their New Zealand Dyslexia-Friendly Quality Mark (DFQM).

Number 10 Youth One Stop Shop recently became accredited after completing the process through Ako Aotearoa and the Tertiary Education Commission.

Chris Cole, Learning Advisor for local charity Learning Differences Aotearoa Trust and one of the DFQM Facilitators for Ako Aotearoa said that Number 10 joins SIT, who became accredited in 2022.

Cole said that to gain the mark education or education adjacent organisations have to complete a robust process based on meeting certain standards. The process is adaptive, recognising each organisations uniqueness.

‘Organisations like Number 10 and SIT achieving the DFQM significantly increase community awareness and help normalise dyslexia for rangatahi. As allies advocating for dyslexia awareness, these organisations help spread the message further and faster’.

Michelle Reynolds, Number 10 Project Manager, said that the organisation had seen more and more dyslexic rangatahi access their services.

‘Having the DFQM has given us a new lens to see the world through, and more tools for our toolbox in working with rangatahi. The biggest difference has been championing the strengths that come with neurodiversity and helping young people to reframe how they see and think about themselves.

Working through the DFQM was a really useful process for us- it forces you to look deeply and widely into your organisation and practices, and we found that it helped us to ask the question “Why do we do this like this?” When you have been around for a bit, some practices as an organisation are habitual or no longer fit for purpose. This process helped us to identify a few things that no longer served the rangatahi we work with.

We’d encourage any organisation that works with rangatahi to work towards gaining their DFQM.’

Photo caption - Michelle Reynolds, Number 10 Project Manager proudly holds the DFQM, flanked by Chris Cole of Ako Aotearoa/Learning Differences Aotearoa Trust, (L) and Jude Crump, Director of Number 10 (R).

Posted: 8 July 2024