The Manako DFQM team have been excited to recently grant Number 10 Southland Youth One Stop Shop, and Hato Hone | St John | (PTE) Public Training and Clinical Services, the Dyslexia-Friendly Quality Mark (DFQM).

Number 10 Southland has a strong passion for increasing dyslexia awareness and improving the wellbeing of dyslexic youths within their community. As a part of the DFQM process, Number 10 received advice from neurodivergent youth on how to make their space more dyslexia friendly. This has enabled Number 10 to better advocate for and support these dyslexic individuals, by implementing small dyslexia-friendly changes within their organisation to help them achieve this goal.

A young person summarised their experience with Number 10 after the organisation went through the DFQM process saying “They are amazing at Number 10. I thought the DFQM would be a tick box exercise but it’s not. They are genuinely kind and care about you”.

From left to right: Chris Cole DFQM Facilitator, Michelle Reynolds, and Jude Crump from Number 10.

Hato Hone St John | PTE, introduced improvements to their policies, procedures and overall awareness through the DFQM process, helping them to better reflect the needs for dyslexic individuals within their organisation. One learner expressed gratitude for the supportive environment that Hato Hone St John has created by saying “My confidence has increased, and I have grown so much. It blows me away to realise how capable I am and my abilities.”

DFQM facilitators Annette Tofaeono and Chris Cole commended the staff at St John for their approach to working with neurodiverse learners: “The trainer we interviewed had a fierce passion for teaching, progressing and developing her trainees. Her approach gained her trainees’ trust and enabled them to be open about their learning challenges and receive more support.”

From left to right: Annette Tofaeono, Felicia McCrone, Anne Stewart, and Chris Cole.

We are delighted to now include Number 10 and Hato Hone St John to the growing number of DFQM certified organisations. Their inclusion has meant there are 14 active organisations within New Zealand that have achieved the Dyslexia-Friendly Quality Mark. With the next intake for the year already full, we’re excited to work with more organisations to achieve this same feat and continue to provide better learning experiences for neurodiverse learners.