Australian dyslexia Foundation
Our Board Members
Antonia Canaris
Barry Rasmussen
Michael Canaris
Rhys van Someren Boyd
Antonia Canaris
Founder & CEO
Antonia Canaris founded the ADF in 2012 because she is passionate about enabling others to access the research based assistance for dyslexia that was so vital for her son’s education. She is an educational therapist practising in Campsie, NSW. Her practice, Neurosensory, offers remediation of learning disorders including dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia. Antonia holds a Master’s in Education (Literacy and Numeracy) and a Graduate Certificate in Autism from Canberra University and a BA in Music and Italian from the University of Sydney. Antonia holds a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (Adult education).
Barry Rasmussen
Director
Barry Rasmussen is an Orton-Gillingham Language Therapist and the director of Bridges Multisensory Learning Centre.
Bridges Multisensory Learning Centre successfully teaches adults and children with language learning difficulties to read, spell, and write using an intensive evidence-based, structured, multi-sensory, synthetic- analytic phonics-based approach.
His learning approach is skilfully tailored to each students’ level and learning style and incorporates assessment within each session.
Barry strongly believes that everyone needs to be able to read, write and achieve basic competence in maths and that financial circumstances should not hinder people acquiring this knowledge.
Michael Canaris
Director
Michael is a library technician who has been with the ADF since inception. Michael was inspired by seeing how his brother conquered dyslexia through targeted and intensive remediation.
Michael's dream is for everyone to have the same opportunities to overcome learning disabilities as his brother had. Michael has experience in working with students of all ages many of whom have made significant progress when using the multi-sensory Orton-Gillingham approach.
Michael has experience in networking with community and political circles. He appreciates the importance of bringing personal stories to enliven discussion on topics that can seem dry and academic.
Rhys van
Someren Boyd
Director
Rhys is a Sydney based Orton-Gillingham tutor who works with various ages groups and skill levels. He is passionate about removing the barriers that make reading, writing and maths unreachable for so many Australians.
Having overcome dyslexia and dysgraphia himself, he has first hand experience with some of the challenges faced by those in need of support.
He credits his success in learning to read and write to his ability to access remedial therapies from highly competent and kind-hearted professionals.
Rhys strongly believes that access to these life changing teaching methods should should not depend on circumstance.
