Welcome to the Southwest Branch of the International Dyslexia Association. The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals with dyslexia, their families and their communities. IDA was founded in 1949 to continue Dr. Samuel Orton's work in the study, prevention, and treatment of the specific learning disability known as dyslexia. Formerly the Orton Dyslexia Society, IDA now has 47 branches in the United States, plus four international affiliates (Brazil, the Philippines, Czech Republic, and Israel). For more information, see www.interdys.org.

The Southwest Branch, SWIDA, was founded in 1985, and today encompasses New Mexico and the El Paso, Texas area. The mission of the Southwest Branch of the International Dyslexia Association is to foster community awareness and understanding of dyslexia and to facilitate opportunities for individuals with reading difficulties to receive an effective and appropriate education.

We are known for our annual February conference which brings together educators, parents, educational diagnosticians, speech and language pathologists, academic language therapists, counselors, psychologists, physicians, students and dyslexics throughout our region to learn, reflect, network and share the latest research, methods and tools available for working with all individuals who have the gift of dyslexia.

SWIDA is delighted to provide this website as a path to educate the community about dyslexia and to provide information about our conference, events, talents of dyslexics, and links and other useful information. Please feel free to contact us with questions or suggestions. Our e-mail is info@southwestida.com. If you wish, phone 505-255-8234. We will be adding new information frequently, so visit us often!