Why are dyslexia resources behind paywalls?

I had a good rant about this on twitter/X last week. (@realraelaw if you're curious).

I didn’t mean to rant. (Ha! Right!)

But sometimes, frustration just spills over — especially when it comes to accessibility, and the irony of how inaccessible so many “dyslexia resources” are.

If you’ve ever tried to help a child with dyslexia, ADHD, or another learning difference, you’ll know this story. You spend hours searching online for strategies, printable resources, or books that actually meet your child where they are.

You find something promising — a worksheet, a phonics pack, a webinar, a guide for parents — and then you hit the same brick wall:

Paywall. Subscription. Members-only. £39.99. Per child.

It’s exhausting.

It’s also fundamentally unfair.

The Privilege of Access

Here’s the truth we rarely say out loud: supporting a neurodivergent child can become a luxury.

If you can afford private assessments, tutors, and subscription learning platforms, you can get the right help early. If you can’t — you’re left piecing together advice from blogs, Facebook groups, and gut instinct. You’re parenting (and teaching) in the dark.

The system was supposed to close that gap. Instead, it often widens it. Schools are underfunded and overstretched. Waiting lists for educational psychology assessments are months — sometimes years — long. And while you wait, the clock ticks, and the gap grows.

So when a parent finds a glimmer of hope — a resource that might finally help — only to be told they need to pay £50 a year for access, it doesn’t just sting. It alienates. It tells families that help is available, but only if they can afford it.

I'll also stress the word "might". I've paid my way through more paywalls than I'd care to admit, only to find the information/resources completely useless or not interesting enough to draw my children in. And naturally, no refunds, no returns.

We Don’t Need Luxury Literacy

Here’s what gets me most: dyslexia isn’t rare. ADHD isn’t rare.Learning differences affect millions of children. These are not niche audiences — they are mainstream readers who have been quietly excluded from the mainstream market.

We shouldn’t be treating accessibility like an upgrade.

It’s not a premium feature — it’s a basic human right.

And that’s why I get so fired up about this. Because as a parent, I’ve lived it. I’ve stared at those paywalls at midnight, wondering how to help my daughters when the information I needed was just out of reach. At least until I found my purse and dug out a credit card.

And now, as a publisher, I see another side of it — how many parents and teachers still can’t easily find books written and designed for readers who think differently.

It shouldn’t be this hard.

Free Shouldn’t Mean Inferior

Part of the reason paywalls exist is understandable — creators and educators deserve to be paid. Designing quality materials takes time and expertise.

But there’s a middle ground. We can work together.

Free doesn’t have to mean low-quality.

It can mean open, collaborative, and community-led. We want to work with teachers, parents, and authors to put as many helpful resources we can find/write in a single place.

What We’re Doing Differently

At Dapple Grey Press, this principle sits at the heart of everything we’re building.

Yes, we sell books — beautifully written, accessible stories designed for children with dyslexia, ADHD, and low reading confidence. And we want our authors to be successful and be paid fairly.

But around those books, we’re building something bigger:

🌿 A free online resource hub with tips, guidance, and strategies for parents and teachers.

🌿 Printable reading confidence guides available to download without sign-ups or subscriptions.

🌿 Community contributions — voices of parents, educators, and readers sharing what actually works.

Because accessibility doesn’t begin with a book. It begins with the belief that every child and every family deserves a fair start.

The Bottom Line

When we hide dyslexia support behind paywalls, we send the wrong message — that only some children are worth investing in, and only some families deserve to understand how to help them.

We can do better.

We must do better.

So here’s my commitment: at Dapple Grey Press, the stories might cost the price of a paperback — but the guidance, the empathy, and the community will always be free.

In short:

Accessibility shouldn’t depend on income.Information shouldn’t be gated.And reading — for every child, in every home — should never, ever be behind a paywall.