Congratulations Sherry Maher - Newly qualified Dyslexia Specialist in Egypt

Sherry Maher is Head of Inclusion at a British International School in Cairo, leading a team of eight specialist teachers. She is a graduate of the BDA Level 5 in Dyslexia.

Sherry’s interest in dyslexia began while working part-time as a Learning Support Assistant while studying for a degree in Business & Accounting. In a class of 15 young children, she discovered that each child had a unique personality, learned at their own pace, and had special qualities. Her passion for human development, education, and psychology was born. A renowned Egyptian intervention centre for children with developmental needs offered her an opportunity to become a remedial tutor, while pursuing her master’s in psychology from the University of South Wales. Her thesis focused on a systematic review of psychological interventions for managing stress among parents of children with learning disabilities. During this time, she also served as a part-time SENCO at a community school for expats in Egypt. Her intention was to become a psychologist supporting parents of children with learning disabilities but inspired by witnessing the different way dyslexic children learn to read, she discovered a deeper passion for supporting the children themselves. The challenges dyslexia presents in language-based learning led her to pursue a career in special education.

During the pandemic, Sherry launched an online social media platform called Child & Family Development to raise awareness about developmental psychology and special educational needs and disabilities in Egypt.

Over the past few years, there has been a growing awareness of Special Educational Needs (SEN) in Egypt. Several intervention centers now offer a range of services for children with various SEN, and some mainstream schools have become more inclusive than they have been in the past when students with SEND had three or four mainstream schools across Egypt they could join. Initiatives to train teachers in inclusive education practices have also begun. The Egyptian government has taken steps to address SEN. However, the availability and quality of support services can vary by region and resources. Despite improving awareness, significant challenges persist, including a shortage of trained special education teachers, the need for more accessible infrastructure, and societal attitudes towards individuals with disabilities. Stigma and misconceptions about disabilities remain prevalent in most parts of society, impacting the quality of support provided to learners with SEN in Egypt and their overall quality of life, along with their families.

Sherry began the BDA Level 5 program in 2022, with the goal of joining Egypt’s small group of qualified Dyslexia Specialists. She found the online format offered remarkable flexibility, with the opportunity to revisit lectures and in-depth study, and seamless transition from theoretical studies and dyslexia research to practical teaching as a Specialist. She also found the expert guidance from a qualified tutor mentor was invaluable. Reflecting on the program, Sherry believes that the knowledge and insights gained from her experiences with learners during the course will have significant practical implications for her future teaching practice, academic pursuits, and personal life. Enabling her to apply the understanding of personalised instruction and metacognition to design effective and engaging lessons that cater to individual learners’ needs, and using the insights gained from this program to inform her own academic research. One specific area of interest is teaching students with dyslexia who read and write in the Arabic language.

Sherry’s passion for learning remains undiminished, and she is already preparing to study the BDA Level 7 program to deepen her understanding of conducting assessments and to continue her journey towards being an assessor for students with specific learning difficulties.