Photo of Rosie Bissett

Chairperson Rosie Bissett

Dyslexia Association of Ireland, Ireland

Ms Bissett has been a member of the EDA board since September 2016 when she was nominated by the Dyslexia Association of Ireland (DAI). She has been working with the DAI for over 20 years, first as an Information Officer, and for the past 10 years as CEO.

As well as her work with dyslexia, she is also active on related issues: she was the chairperson of Dyspraxia/DCD Ireland until September 2019. She is also the chairperson of the Spectrum Alliance, an Irish umbrella organisation for hidden disabilities on the neurodiversity spectrum (dyslexia, dyspraxia, ATHD, and Asperger syndrome).

Rosie is a passionate advocate of those who learn differently. She has actively campaigned particularly on the issue of equitable access for people with dyslexia in Ireland. “With a background in health and social science, and my experience working with and for people with dyslexia for 20 years, I hope to make a contribution at a wider European level.
The EDA is well placed to bring the voice and experience of people with dyslexia to the European institutions to ensure that their needs are recognised and their rights respected fully and equally across Europe.” Ms Bissett explained.

Board members in alphabetic order

Photo of Ruth

Dr Ruth Falzon

Malta Dyslexia Association, Malta

Education – B.Ed. (Hons) MA, PhD

Job or activity – Lecturer

Role in national association – Secretary, Training (Lobbyist on Exam Access Arrangements and use of technology to access and present print)

Personal link to dyslexia – A parent and a specialist in Dyslexia

Specific responsibilities in EDA – Treasurer

Preferred quote or motto

“Do to others what you would want done to you"

Ruth Falzon is a University of Malta senior lecturer and a founding member of the Department of Counselling at the Faculty for Social Wellbeing. Her areas of expertise include personal and social Development and specific learning difficulties. She coordinates PSD methodology and counselling research study units at the University of Malta. Her research interests are PSD, counselling in schools, specific learning difficulties and autoethnography as related to well‐being. Dr Falzon is an executive council member of the International Association for Counselling, a Board Director and currently treasurer of the European Dyslexia Association and a Council Member of the International Society for Policy Research & Evaluation in School‐Based Counseling (ISPRESC). On a local level, she is on the Executive Council of the Malta Association for the Counselling Profession and the Malta Dyslexia Association. Department of Counselling, Faculty for Social Wellbeing, University of Malta

Picture of Sue Flor

Mrs Sue Flohr

British Dyslexia Association, England

Education –BA Language Studies, SpLD Diploma

Job or activity – Diagnostic Assessor

Role in national association – Head of Policy

Personal link to dyslexia – Dyslexic in a family of dyslexics

Specific responsibilities in EDA – Board Member - managing Inbox emails

Preferred quote or motto

“If a child doesn't learn the way you teach, teach him/her the way s/he learns. (Dr Harry Chasty)

Sue graduated in Language Studies and is a qualified SpLD specialist teacher/assessor.  She has 35 years of experience in dyslexia in Primary, Secondary and FE/HE sectors.  She is also a DSA Needs Assessor, and a BDA Professional Member and has an APC (Assessment Practising Certificate) to diagnose dyslexia.  She is a member of BDA Assistive Technology Committee and the BDA Music Committee and various other committees and boards representing for the BDA.  In 2015 she received the MBE for her services towards helping people with dyslexia.

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Mr Bengt-Erik Johansson

Dyslexiförbundet, Sweden

Education – Computers and different softwares

Job or activity – Chairman/President of the Swedish Dyslexia Association

Role in national association – Chairman/President

Personal link to dyslexia – Dyslexic

Specific responsibilities in EDA – Board member and in charge of relations with institutions.

Preferred quote or motto

“Nothing about us without us"

Bengt-Erik has worked a lot with adult students in different topics like hardware and software. He also worked for some years to help newly arrived people in Sweden. He worked as a software developer when he was headhunted to Dyslexiförbundet 2007. He was elected as chairman/President and that is what he works with at the moment.

photo of Giannis

Dr Giannis Karagiannakis

Hellenic Dyslexia Association, Greece

Education – PhD

Job or activity – Researcher

Role in national association – CEO

Personal link to dyslexia – Dyslexic

Specific responsibilities in EDA – Board Member and coordinator of the Academical Committee

Preferred quote or motto

“No pain, no gain"

Giannis is a lecturer and fellow researcher at National & Kapodistrian University of Athens. His research interest is in the field of the numerical cognition: investigating the cognitive functions (specific and general) that mathematical strengths and weaknesses (often called dyscalculia) may reside, and developing differentiated instructions in mathematics for students 8-18 years old.  He is a member and coordinator of the Academical Committee of the European Dyslexia Association.

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Mr Vincent Lochmann

FFDys, France

Education – MSC on Professional training

Job or activity – Consultant

Role in national association – Vocalional training about Specific learning disabilities

Personal link to dyslexia – Father of a 31 years old adult with dyslexia

Specific responsibilities in EDA – Vice Chairperson in charge of relations with institutions

Preferred quote or motto

“United in diversity"

Vincent Lochmann was  born in 1961. He has a MSC on Professional training. After being journalist for a radio in Paris, he is now a consultant on inclusion, professional training, and medias. He has been the President of the French Fédération Française des dys(FFDys) for 6 years (2009-2015). He was nominated by the FFDys to the board of EDA. He is the father of three young adults and among them a 31 years old young man with oral language impairment (dysphasia) and dyslexia. He is the author and co-author of two books about employment of people with specific learning disabilities. He is Vice President of EDA in charge of relation with institutions. My preferred motto is the one of the European Union: United in diversity !

Photo of Mercedes

Mrs Mercedes Mayoral

Catalan Dyslexia Association, Spain

Education – University Degree in Literature and Art History.
Postgraduate Certificate in ADHD, Learning Disorders and Behavioral Disorders, Master in Business Administration

Job or activity – Medical Publisher

Role in national association – Board member

Personal link to dyslexia – Mother of three daughters, two of them affected by Dyslexia, Dyscalculia  and ADHD

Specific responsibilities in EDA – Secretary

Preferred quote or motto

“No Child wants to fail"

Mercedes was born in 1967. Always interested in anything having to do with Arts and Culture, she graduated in Literature and Art History and has a master’s in business administration. She’s always been in the publishing business, since 1988 when she founded a Graphic Art Publishing Company. Some years later, being an only child, she joined the family business, Ediciones Mayo, a leading Spanish Medical publishing company. She has three daughters, who are now young adults, two of them were diagnosed with Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and ADHD. As soon as she received her daughters’ diagnosis, she started educating herself on Learning Disorders in order to help them. She approached the Catalan Dyslexia Association for help and some years later she started helping them and became a member of the Board. She is Secretary of EDA.

Her husband and herself had never had problems in school, so it was difficult for her to understand why her daughters’ were struggling so much until the neurologist who diagnosed her smaller daughter told her a phrase that made Mercedes understand: “No children wants to fail”. This means that, when they fail, there has to be a reason for it… and it is our duty to look for it …

Photo of Florentine

Dr Florentine Paudel

Austrian Federation of Dyslexia, Austria

Education – Ph. D in Pedagogy

Job or activity – Trainer in Teacher Education

Role in national association – Member of the Board,
Organization of lectures on various topics of dyslexia,
responsible for the public relation of the association

Personal link to dyslexia – Accompanies/supports people with dyslexia in different roles (as a class teacher, support teacher and dyslexia therapist outside of school)

Specific responsibilities in EDA – Co-Secretary

Preferred quote or motto

“Each person is unique and should therefore have the right to develop individual"

Florentine is also an Academic Researcher on Dyslexia

Mrs Christine Sczygiel

Germany

Education – 

Job or activity – 

Role in national association – 

Personal link to dyslexia – 

Specific responsibilities in EDA – Board member

Preferred quote or motto

“"

No information yet

Ms Pernilla Söderberg

Sweden

Education – 

Job or activity – 

Role in national association – 

Personal link to dyslexia – 

Specific responsibilities in EDA – Vice chairperson

Preferred quote or motto

“"

No information yet

Prof Cristiano Termine

Italy

Education – 

Job or activity – 

Role in national association – 

Personal link to dyslexia – 

Specific responsibilities in EDA – Board member

Preferred quote or motto

“"

No information yet

Other members

Photo of Peter

Mr Peter Häggstrand

Linnaeus University, Sweden

Education – Interactive media and communication

Job or activity – Development pedagogue

Role in national association – Manager of LMS and media platforms

Personal link to dyslexia – None

Specific responsibilities in EDA – Web master and information officer

Preferred quote or motto

“They know enough who know to learn –Henry Adams"

Peter Häggstrand has been with the EDA since 2013 when he was headhunted after working with the conference web site that year.

He lives in the country side south of Växjö, Sweden with his wife and a lot of animals.

He has been working as a salesman, information officer, ICT pedagogue and is currently managing education environment systems at the Linnaeus University. He has also been a part of several online projects with the EU.

As a development pedagogue he is also involved in different development projects at the university aimed at improving the digital knowledge and didactics.

https://lnu.se/en/staff/peter.haggstrand/