Our Vision is create a world where adults with dyslexia feel informed, connected and empowered to embrace dyslexia and thrive in their lives. 
A student having received an assessment - "Without this support these last few months would have been very stressful. I would not have been able to do this without you!" 

What do we do? 

ADC began in 2003 from a base in Maidenhead, Berkshire, and supports adults with dyslexia. We aim to boost confidence, develop skills and improve an adult's understanding of their dyslexia. In 2020 as a result of the pandemic all our services were delivered online with success, and we continue to do this. We support over 300 people each year through a range of services - helpline and diagnostic assessments for dyslexia, support groups and online webinars, advice for adults, employers, parents and teachers.  

What makes us different? 

Those we support are often unemployed, on low incomes or have missed out on education, so we aim to give them the skills and confidence to find better opportunities at work and in education. 
 
We are a charity and a social enterprise and all our income from our commercial services (assessments, courses, awareness training) is used to help fund our primary purpose, the support of adults with dyslexia. 
 

For adults with dyslexia we can offer: 

Information about dyslexia - this includes dyslexia screening and an initial information session (IAG) 
An understanding of their dyslexia 
Improved confidence 
Improved literacy and IT skills 
Workplace assessments 
Diagnostic assessments for dyslexia 
 

The ADC also provides: 

Diagnostic Assessments for children (pre and post 16) 
Access Arrangements for extra time in exams such as GCSEs and ALevels 
Information for employers and trainers on how they can support their employees with dyslexia 
Training on Dyslexia Awareness and consultancy services for employers and organisations 

Who we are... 

The Adult Dyslexia Centre is a charity that was opened in September 2003 by Debbie Farnfield, a tutor of adults with dyslexia, and Sue Penton-Voak, active in the local One to One club (providing 121 tutoring for children) which her daughter attended. They both felt that there was very little support for adults with dyslexia and so the aim of the centre has always been to boost confidence, develop skills and improve the individual’s understanding of their dyslexia. 
 
The Centre’s staff members are a dedicated team of professional tutors and assessors, supported by the board of trustees and a team of volunteers. 
ADC Manager - Sue Flohr MBE 
 
Sue is the ADC Manager. She holds BDA professional membership and has experience supporting dyslexic learners in primary, secondary, FE/HE and the workplace. 
Sue sits on various boards including the European Dyslexia Association and has worked closely with Government and decision makers to improve the lives of people with dyslexia, and she received the MBE for her services to dyslexia in 2015. 
 
ADC Helpline - Sue Page 
Sue Page runs the ADC Helpline. Sue's background is in HR running her own business for ten years. She has four dyslexic sons which led Sue to volunteer with a national dyslexia charity, becoming their Helpline Co-ordinator. Sue's experience includes supporting learners in further education and adult education. 
ADC Trustees 
 
Sue Penton-Voak 
Sue and Debbie Farnfield founded the ADC in 2003 and Sue took on the fundraising responsibilities from the outset. Her connection with dyslexia stems from her dyslexic daughter, and she is so proud that her daughter is now a fully trained dyslexia specialist working in secondary school. Sue's background is in IT but is now retired which allows her the time to devote to the ADC and is the current chair. 
Chris Gostick 
Chris is a maths graduate who spent his working career in the Supply Chain Software Solutions industry. He was diagnosed with dyslexia at junior school and received additional help at that time. Chris is now retired and enjoys gardening and watching sport, mainly rugby, cricket and cycling. Chris is the Treasurer for the ADC. 
Chris Owens 
Chris is a marketing and communications specialist and a proud dyslexic thinker. Having worked at several UK and international charities, including The British Red Cross, Samaritans and Trees for Cities, Chris is an advocate for the many strengths of dyslexia and the advantages of processing information in a different way. Chris is passionate about positive emotional health and Mental Health First Aider and is excited about the power of dyslexic thinking for a rapidly changing world - in desperate need of a fresh approach. 
Katrina Cochrane 
Katrina has worked in the field of dyslexia for over 20 years. After completing her specialist training, she worked for Dyslexia Action for 14 years, running the Egham Centre and then as Southern Regional Manager. In 2012 she was seconded to the BDA as Head of Education and Policy. In 2016 she set up her own company and is an experienced assessor and trainer. Katrina has two adult sons, one of whom is dyslexic and dyspraxic. She brings a wealth of professional knowledge and experience to the ADC. 
Clare Jones 
Clare is a molecular biologist by training and currently works for a consultancy advising pharmaceutical companies. Although she didn't realise it for a long time, Clare's career has been shaped by her dyslexia (leaving academic science to reduce the amount of reading) and ADHD (working in what she finds interesting). Clare's daughter is dyslexic and succeeded at school due to a lot of hard work (and access arrangements), but this highlighted to Clare that many people are not so fortunate and struggle through school and in the workplace without the support and understanding to allow them to thrive. Clare is committed to the ADC's work in bringing together and supporting people with dyslexia. 
Maryna Van Harmelen 
Maryna van Harmelen is an accomplished Programme and Project Manager with international experience and expertise in healthcare, insurance, and technology transformation. She has been supporting the Adult Dyslexia Centre since September 2023, driven by her personal experience as a parent of a severely dyslexic son. Witnessing her son's challenges firsthand has deepened her commitment to helping individuals with dyslexia. Maryna brings a wealth of knowledge in project management, governance, and stakeholder engagement. 
Maryna's passion for assisting others and her dedication to making a positive impact align closely with the goals of the Adult Dyslexia Centre. She is enthusiastic about leveraging her skills and experience to support the ADC and help individuals with dyslexia reach their full potential. 
Fergus Gilmore 
Originally from Ireland, Fergus has lived in the UK since 1990 and in Windsor for the last 25 years. He is married with 2 grown up children He has recently retired after a career in various leadership roles in the technology industry. 
 
In the last 4 years he has also volunteered with an organisation, Pilotlight which offers pro bono consulting services to charities in the UK mainly around their overall strategy and business plan. This is where he can offer some assistance to ADC. 
 
Although he has no direct family experience with dyslexia he has a keen interest in young adults access to opportunities and removing any barriers they may face. He has huge admiration for everything ADC has achieved over the last 20 years in this respect. 
Assessors & Tutors 
Jeanette Benbow 
Jeanette's background is in HR and has been working with adults with specific learning needs since 1998. 
She is particularly interested in how assistive technology can be used to support clients in the workplace, when studying and during leisure time. 
Kim Brown 
Kim is a qualified specialist SpLD assessor and teacher with more than 30 years' experience supporting adults with dyslexia and dyspraxia in a variety of workplace and educational settings. Friendly and professional, Kim makes the assessment process a comfortable, productive and positive experience. 
Kim assesses adults who want to understand their learning style and challenges more fully, and offers practical solutions and ideas to support them. Kim can demonstrate specialist software and teaching tips that may be useful. 
Assessments are always followed up with a detailed report including recommendations for support at work, or studying.  
Judith Campbell 
Judith is a dyslexia tutor with over 14 years experience and a long-time member of the ADC. She is passionate about supporting children with dyslexia and their parents; delivering a one-on-one service focused on learning and literacy skills development. By cultivating a positive learning environment, students are encouraged to harness their strengths to develop skills to deal with their challenges. Judith delivers the ADC's Understanding Dyslexia course for parents and holds a Level 5 certificate in Teaching Learners with SpLD (Dyslexia) 
Rachel Turner 
Rachel has over 30 years of experience in education and is particularly interested in language, literacy, and dyslexia. She currently works part of the week in a school for children with Developmental Language Disorder. 
Rachel holds an Assessment Practising Certificate and assesses students from 7 – 18 in their home or school. Making the assessment process positive is key. Rachel ensures that the report is meaningful to the young person with emphasis on their learning style and how to use their strengths to help them to reach their full potential. 
Debbie Sweetman 
 
 
Debbie Sweetman trained as a Specialist Teacher after qualifying as classroom teacher. She became the dyslexia coordinator at further education college, teaching and assessing students with SpLDs. Following on from this, Debbie set up as an independent assessor and tutor. 
Debbie holds a current Assessment Practising certificate (APC) with, and is a member of, PATOSS - Professional Association of Teachers of Studens with Specific Learning Difficulties. 
Debbie is qualified to assess children from age seven up to adults, including university students. 
Aya Yuasa 
Aya holds a PhD in Education. She works full-time in a secondary school as a Specialist Teacher and Assessor, as well as SENDCO. She has been assessing since 2018 and holds a current Assessment Practising Certificate with the BDA. Aya assesses students from age 9 to university/college students. 
Barbara Ratcliffe 
Barbara Ratcliffe is a qualified Specialist Teacher and has worked with children and adults with Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) for over 30 years. She has worked at both primary and secondary level as a SENCo (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) and as a one to one support tutor for university students. 
Rowena Resnikoff 
Rowena is one of ADC's newest assessors, she holds an Assessment Practising Certificate with the BDA (British Dyslexia Association) and assesses children from 7 to 16. Rowena is also a Learning Support Teacher. 
 
ADC needs to collect and use certain types of information about people with whom it deals in order to provide services to clients. These services include, full assessments, workplace needs assessments, IAG (information advice and guidance), screening for dyslexia, and other services offered by ADC. 
Our GDPR Regulation Policy can be found here.