Dyslexia Awareness Week reminds us that empathy isn’t enough. We need action. The real challenge lies not in helping people with dyslexia “overcome” their condition, but in transforming the systems – our schools, workplaces, and public institutions – that continue to exclude them.

As we mark Dyslexia Awareness Week, it is time to move beyond awareness and toward accountability. Too often, discussions about dyslexia focus on how individuals can “overcome” their difficulties. But this framing is deeply flawed. It implies that the person with dyslexia is the problem, when in truth, it is society’s structures, our education systems, bureaucracies, and workplaces that create the barriers. The political challenge before us is to reshape those structures so that no one is excluded.

Dyslexia is not a rarity or an exception; it affects an estimated one in ten people. That means every classroom, every office, and every public service in this country includes dyslexic individuals. Yet these same spaces are still designed almost exclusively for people who process language and information in conventional ways. This should not be treated as an individual tragedy but as a political mission.

A Question of Access and Power

When a child with dyslexia struggles to keep up at school, or an adult faces bureaucratic hurdles because of a form-heavy system, we are not witnessing personal shortcomings but rather institutional discrimination. Education systems remain built on outdated models of literacy that privilege speed, accuracy, and uniformity over creativity, reasoning, and understanding. Assessment policies that rely on timed writing tasks and dense reading materials exclude brilliant minds whose intelligence cannot be captured by pen-and-paper exams.

The Government must therefore treat dyslexia not as a matter of special education but as a civil rights issue. Inclusive education should be written into law, with funding for teacher training and the universal provision of assistive technology to complement the early screening that is already in place. The political will to invest in accessibility must replace the rhetoric of “support where possible.” Accessibility is not optional; it is a right.

Reshaping Work and Public Policy

In workplaces too, dyslexic people continue to face barriers that could easily be removed with leadership and vision. Political leaders and public institutions must continue modelling inclusive practices offering alternative communication formats, valuing oral and visual presentations, and promoting a culture that sees neurodiversity as an asset, not a deficit. Policies that incentivise employers to embrace inclusive technology and design would not only benefit dyslexic workers but make entire industries more creative and adaptable.

Changing the Story

Changing systems also means changing stories. For too long, the public narrative around dyslexia has been one of pity or exceptionalism, either a struggle to be overcome or a rare gift to be admired. Both perspectives miss the point. Dyslexia is a normal variation of human cognition. It is society that must adapt, not the individual who must endlessly compensate.

As Dyslexia Awareness Week reminds us, empathy is not enough. What is needed now is courage, the courage to redesign schools, workplaces, and institutions that exclude by default. When we reframe dyslexia as a social and political issue, we take a step toward a fairer, more inclusive democracy. A society that works for dyslexic citizens works better for everyone.

Author Mariah Meli is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in European Studies and serves as the Mayor of Għargħur.