Cara Credit Union Supports Inclusivity In Classrooms With Dyslexia-Friendly Books

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Cara Credit Union CEO Pa Laide and Marketing & Business Development Manager of Cara Credit Union Siobhan Donnelly with the books.

FIFTY-FIVE local schools across Tralee, Castleisland, Killorglin, Ballyduff and Causeway will each receive a set of four dyslexia-friendly children’s books about Irish wildlife, thanks to Cara Credit Union and author Shane Casey.

Dyslexia affects, on average, three children in every class of 24. However, despite a significant increase in the awareness and understanding of the challenges faced, there remains limited resources available for the children themselves.

Through the support of Cara Credit Union, one collection of Irish published books, the ‘Nature’s Adventures’ collection, is working to buck this trend.

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Speaking about the dyslexia-friendly elements of the book’s design and layout, author Shane Casey says, “they’re only little changes, but they make a huge difference. We use a combination of special font, colour schemes, and layout to make it easier for children with dyslexia to read. Little things, like avoiding a double space after a full stop, prevents white lightning on the page. Or left aligning the text instead of justifying it, makes it easier to see where the sentence ends, and is less daunting for a young reader than a block of text”.

“The stories themselves are also important,” continues Shane, “many of the books used by children with dyslexia can be quite juvenile, and so having stories that are age appropriate is key to encouraging children to read more. For some 11- and 12-year-olds, these were the first books they had managed to read in full on their own, and it had given them the confidence to try other books.”

Shane is a former Biodiversity Officer, and with three stories in each book, his series helps to engage children with the wildlife on their own doorstep, from hedgehogs and mayflies to song thrushes and salmon.

“So many children’s books personify wildlife and nature beyond recognition,” says Shane, “and in the midst of a global biodiversity and climate crisis, it’s important to both understand and appreciate the world around us”.

Siobhan Donnelly, Marketing & Business Development Manager of Cara Credit Union, continued; “We are delighted to be in a position to work with Shane and our local primary schools on this initiative. Inclusivity is very much part of the credit union operating principles and we will continue to work with our communities to ensure we put our members at the heart of everything we do. We would like to thank our members for their support, as without this we would not be in a position to support these worthwhile projects.”

The four books sponsored by Cara Credit Union are ‘Nature’s Secret Adventures’, ‘Nature’s Hidden Adventures’, ‘Nature’s Marvellous Adventures’, and ‘Nature’s Incredible Adventures’.

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