The Dyslexia Network idea came about when Founder, Nikki Cherry, asked her son with dyslexia how she could help him at school. The answer was simple and inspiring: "help others understand what dyslexia is." Nikki immediately launched the Kiker Dyslexia Network, named for her local elementary school, to increase dyslexia awareness among Kiker students, teachers, and administrators. She quickly recognized that her fellow Kiker parents were struggling to advocate for their children in schools and sought to provide resources and advice from years of personal experience.

Within six months, the Kiker Elementary Network grew to include members from over 15 different Austin-area schools. Recognizing that this issue was far broader than just Kiker Elementary, Nikki enlisted the help of her neighbor and fellow mom of a child with dyslexia, Danielle Storan, to launch the Dyslexia Network, whose primary goal is to ensure that every child receives the services they need to learn to read through increased awareness and advocacy.

We hope parents from all schools feel welcome, and we encourage you to join, participate and offer feedback! Together, we can help others understand what dyslexia is and what we can do as parents and educators to help these brilliant, yet sometimes struggling, children be successful in school.

Our Founders:

Nikki Cherry: Nikki has lived in Austin, Texas since 2008, with her husband and two children. Nikki's oldest child was diagnosed with dyslexia at the end of 1st grade in May 2016. Having a child formally diagnosed she began to research dyslexia trying to make her son's world in school easier and better for him. Initially, upon diagnosis and not knowing where to go first or next, Nikki spoke with many people trying to figure out a path best suited for her child. She describes that period of time (initial diagnosis) for her and her son as, "the rug being pulled out from under your feet and you've fallen." They finally regained footing two years after diagnosis, and that is when her son said the best way to help him would be to help other people understand dyslexia. Nikki felt compelled to make that request a reality by providing a platform for people to come together to share information and bring dyslexia awareness to everyone. She realized that this would help the significant population with dyslexia be understood, rather than inaccurately judged, and the network was started!

Nikki holds a Master of Business Administration from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Science in Bioenvironmental Science from Texas A&M University. Nikki has a real estate license and works at J.B. Goodwin Realtors. She has worked in the real estate field since 2000, initially working with land acquisition due diligence in the environmental field, then she moved into land development. Now she works with real estate investments and is an avid real estate investor across multiple states.

Danielle Storan: Danielle Storan's introduction to dyslexia began with a voicemail left on a Friday afternoon, informing her that her oldest daughter Sophie, then in kindergarten, was diagnosed with both dyslexia and dysgraphia. She was also informed that a meeting with the school to determine Sophie's accommodations was scheduled for the following Tuesday. Flailing and feeling completely unprepared to adequately advocate for her child, Danielle then did what any parent would do: ordered every book related to learning disabilities from Amazon and scoured every dyslexia website she could find. The more she researched, the more fascinated Danielle became by the dyslexic brain and the huge advantages it offered once it conquered the challenge of reading. She was thrilled to join Nikki in founding the Dyslexia Network and hopes to raise awareness about all of the things dyslexia is...and isn't!

Danielle works in foreign policy and national security. She is currently the President of a defense contracting company. Prior to that, Danielle worked in international affairs for the US Government. She also has communications and marketing experience, serving as a political appointee in public affairs for the Secretary of Health and Human Services and US Surgeon General and two presidential campaigns. Danielle holds a Masters Degree in Defense and Strategic Studies from Missouri State University and a Bachelors in Government from the College of William and Mary.

Our Mission

The mission of the Dyslexia Network is to bring awareness and information to everyone about dyslexia while providing support for parents with children diagnosed with dyslexia and/or who are struggling readers.

Our Immediate Goals

1. Increase dyslexia awareness among students, parents, and educators.

2. Provide a support group to parents with children diagnosed with dyslexia or who struggle with reading.

3. Help children with dyslexia feel accepted and more comfortable in the classroom.

Our Long Term Goals

1. To help obtain funding for schools through the State of Texas for teacher training and education. The bottom line is that schools need more reading specialists.

2. To help parents of recently diagnosed children obtain information, helpful resources, and community support.

Together we will create positive change!

Contact us at nikki@dyslexianetwork.org and danielle@dyslexianetwork.org