The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) Founded in 1949, IDA is the nation’s oldest organization dealing with learning disabilities. Among others goals, IDA’s mission is to:

“ promote, encourage, and support the preparation and continued education of professionals and other personnel to ameliorate the impact of dyslexia and related disorders and to promote optimal methods of reading instruction for all people...”

To better fulfill that mission, in April 2002, the IDA Board of Directors formally approved the creation of The Alliance for Accreditation and Certification of Structured Language Education, Inc. (“The Alliance”).

Current statistics indicate that more than 40% of elementary school students are not reading at grade level and we know that many of those students can benefit from multisensory structured language instruction. IDA believes that establishing national standards for professionals who use these specialized methodologies is critical to the educational success of millions of children.

IDA’s purpose in sponsoring The Alliance is:

• To provide a united association of organizations with a common interest in accrediting training courses and certifying teachers and therapists;
• In order to promote the use of research-based and clinically proven practices for the preparation of teachers and therapists responsible for the instruction of individuals with Dyslexia and Related Disorders;
• So that consumers can be informed as to best practices and the power of association and consensus can improve the opportunities for every individual to lead a productive and fulfilling life, and society benefits from the resource that is liberated.