Hampshire Dyslexia Association have a mission to provide help and advice about Dyslexia to parents, teachers and adults resident in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton. This is done by providing an email helpline, web-based information and organising open meetings covering related topics. HDA can also arrange training and assessments via a Bursary Fund.
Since 2022, we have supported dyslexia focussed initiatives within our region by providing a total of £154,187 in grant funding. This support has benefited:
- 1304 direct individuals
- 12 schools through targeted projects
- 271 teachers by providing training courses
- 5928 individuals in the wider community through the dissemination of good practice and improved knowledge.
The graphic below details how these funds have been used:
The following organisations and initiatives have kindly provided details of how our support has benefited their own strategic objectives:
Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre (www.Helenarkell.org.uk):
Demand for our bursary-funded dyslexia services has soared due to the continuing cost-of-living crisis, with a 275% increase in disadvantaged beneficiaries since 2019. Thanks to the HDA funding, we’ve been able to support more families who are struggling to access help for their children with dyslexia. This has meant increasing the number of assessments and tutoring sessions we can offer in the county.
With growing demand from across the UK, the funding has enabled us to extend our reach into new regions, allowing us to allocate resources more widely and respond to emerging needs in other areas.
Long-term benefits:
A survey of people receiving bursary-funded support through Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity from the last 3 years illustrates some of the long-term benefits:
- 99% agreed having an assessment helps to understand themselves better, including strengths/weaknesses.
- 96% agreed having an assessment helps to access further support.
- 92% reported improved confidence.
- 92% reported improved literacy.
- 93% reported reduced frustration/anxiety.
Literacy Hubs – Pompey Pirates:
This project captured the energy and imagination of young pupils in the Portsmouth area to encourage literacy across. Hampshire Dyslexia Association provided funding for books in the library and an innovative training session around neurodiversity for their 75 volunteers and staff.
After five years of the Literacy Hubs being open and serving nearly 500 children across Portsmouth, our services have now been taken on by Portsmouth City Council.
Angela Higgs Andover Dyslexia Alliance:
The project, involving Secondary Schools in the Andover area receiving dedicated training from a range of speakers, will be carried out over three years and will benefit both directly and indirectly up to 5,000 pupils and teachers. The aim of the project is to:
- Promote shared and joint working and approaches, creating a network of support across the town.
- Inform and train school staff so they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to support young people with specific learning difficulties.
- Generate enthusiasm and interest in the areas of specific learning difficulties.
- Change in practices and cascading of information across whole schools and the Andover area.
Kes Sinfield, member, student, dyslexia champion!
Kes is currently involved in a project to review the accessibility of patient letters within Southampton University Hospitals. To support her understanding of dyslexia in the wider community, we funded a ticket to a national conference.
“I just wanted to say a massive thank you for sending me to the Dyslexia conference. What an incredible day!! I had the most incredible day meeting so many other individuals who are just as keen to try and improve accessibility and inclusivity. Whilst meeting new people is always daunting and a little bit overwhelming, it was an incredible opportunity to network, which will hopefully lead to some exciting opportunities in the near future – watch this space.” – Kes Sinfield.
BearFace Theatre – Underdogs project (https://www.bearfacetheatre.org/)
Underdogs project: BearFace Theatre works with young people excluded from mainstream school, aiming to celebrate and empower neurodiverse voices, helping at-risk young people to increase confidence, gain new skills, and build a creative identity for the future. BearFace Theatre runs weekly drama sessions at The Point, Eastleigh, which are active, engaging, and promote inclusive and interactive learning styles.
The project will culminate in a celebration event to showcase the project process and the original artwork created by the young people; this may include poetry, visual artwork, photography, performance or discussion. Young people will share their creative project with their guests (parents, carers, supporters), school community (other students, teachers, headteacher, governors) and project stakeholders. BFT will host this event at The Point in Eastleigh.
Hampshire Dyslexia Association provided funding for neurodiversity training to their team of creative facilitators. Due to the Underdogs project running between April 2025 and July 2026, its full impact cannot yet able to be reported on. We are hopeful about how using creativity to inspire engagement and growth in personal skills will benefit this community of young people. Watch this space for updates!
More information about the work Hampshire Dyslexia Association has supported within our region can be found by downloading our 2025 impact report by following this link: