Light Ups include the Royal Australian Mint and Old Parliament House Canberra, Luminous at Darling Quarter and NSW State Library Sydney, Brisbane Story Bridge, Melbourne Star Observation Wheel, Elizabeth Quay Perth, Adelaide Oval, Wrest Point Hobart and Darwin Convention Centre, to name a few.

Light it Red for Dyslexia is a volunteer initiative to increase awareness for the 10% of Australians who struggle to learn to read, write and spell.

Dyslexia is a learning difference that affects a child’s ability to develop a strong understanding of written language.

Dyslexia Support Mid North Coast President, Kelly King, said they were delighted Port Macquarie has joined capital cities nationwide to share an important message.

“Families in regional areas often struggle to access support as there are less professional services available to help children with specific learning difficulties.”

The colour red was chosen to represent the dreaded red pen that many teachers often use to mark school work.

By reclaiming the colour red for dyslexia, Dyslexia Support Mid North Coast hope to empower children with dyslexia, and spread awareness among the wider community.

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month and local schools are encouraged to host a ‘Light it Red Day’ where students wear red for a day and screen a Behind the News feature article on Dyslexia during school assembly.

Approximately 1 in 5 people are on the dyslexia continuum struggling to read, write and spell on a daily basis.  In every classroom, there may be between 3-5 students with dyslexia.

“It’s a misconception that if you read to your child every night they will learn to read. Many children need explicit instruction in the five ‘keys’ to reading to enable them to crack the code=,” Mrs King said.

“Early identification and evidence-based intervention is vital. We would like to see all schools adopt the year one Phonics Screening Check and systematic synthetic phonics instruction as part of the ‘five keys’ to reading in every classroom so that no child is left behind.”

For further information about Light it Red for Dyslexia visit them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lightitredfordyslexia