She was the oldest sibling growing up in an extended family in Goa. Remy Dias says that she was always overprotected.
"Having a younger, very outgoing sister and a brother who was dyslexic, I have always been ‘Miss Conscientious' in my family," she says.
Looking back at her brother's childhood, she says his dyslexic characteristics appear so clear now. Yet he remained undiagnosed. "As a toddler, he had delayed speech, but was very confident and social," she says.
"But all that changed when he started school. He hated it, and was left behind by his peers in the classroom. He had illegible handwriting, was slow at reading and battled with spelling. These hindrances led to the deterioration of his social skills and he lost that confidence he had so enjoyed as a child," she explains.
Things got worse when their younger sister started school and was top of her class. He couldn't understand why his sisters were doing so well and he wasn't. His self esteem took a knock and he sunk into depression. Ultimately, her brother ended his life at a young age.
While trying to come to terms with his death, Dias attended a workshop on dyslexia. "I realised that my brother had experienced so many of the symptoms but had never received effective treatment. By the time we realised what was at the root of his behaviour, it was too late," she says.
Dias became determined to do something for children who were dyslexic and save them from a similar fate to her brother's.
So she enrolled at the University of Southampton in the UK to pursue a Masters degree in specific learning disabilities, focusing on dyslexia. She received her Associate Membership of the British Dyslexia Association (AMBDA) accreditation.
Dias went on to work at the Highfield Primary School, Southampton and the Sacred Heart School in Leicester to gain sufficient teaching experience. She was then qualified to draw up individual programmes for enhanced learning for severely affected children.
Dias believes that there is a dire need to establish a learning centre for the Dubai Dyslexia Association, which could provide one-to-one instruction and develop sensory skills necessary to improve reading, spelling, comprehension, critical thinking and maths abilities in dyslexic children. She says that every programme should be tailored to meet the individual's specific learning needs.
"Children with dyslexia endure frustration and demoralisation on a daily basis as they struggle to acquire skills that many of us take for granted. I urge parents to get help for their children if they suspect that something might be wrong," she says.
Dias currently works as a primary co-ordinator at the Deira Private School. She is not only helping students at this specific school, but tutors other children over and above her day-job duties. She says that her mother has always been a pillar of strength in her life and provides constant encouragement.
An active social worker, Dias now runs the Vision Education Society, assisted by her mother. She flies to Goa every three months and is actively involved in training others.
She regularly conducts workshops for teachers in south Goa to raise awareness surrounding dyslexia. She is driven at ensuring that parents are equipped with the basic training necessary for them to be able to deal with their child's condition.
Dias is also working with Jan Ugahi, an NGO for street children. She is involved in coordinating the collection of clothes to distribute to orphanages in Margao, Goa. The response so far has been fantastic and she says proudly that the collection boxes at Deira Private School are filled up at a rapid pace.
To convey what drives her, Dias quotes writer Sir Henry Maximilian Beerbohm, who said: "To give and then not feel that one has given is the very best of all ways of giving."
Dias is a living example of those words in action.
