Shân Copeland – Chair
Shân Copeland qualified as a primary school teacher in Merseyside and then spent several years teaching in a school for children with learning difficulties. After a career break to raise her three dyslexic children she completed a second Psychology degree and returned to teaching in a secondary school as a dyslexia specialist and A level Psychology teacher She later became Head of Sixth Form and managed the school’s UCAS application programme. She retired in 2018 and moved from Oxfordshire to London. She became a trustee in 2023.
Shân has developed a comprehensive understanding of Dyslexia though her career and the experience of her pupils and her own children. She firmly believes that diagnosis, skilled help, and understanding enables dyslexic individuals to not only cope but to flourish and to reach their full potential.
Dr Katherine Hewlett – Vice Chair MBE
Dr Katherine Hewlett, a Trustee of the WFDA since 2012, is an expert in the field of neurodivergence and lives in Waltham Forest. The WFDA does important work in East London providing support, knowledge and skills for those who might be dyslexic or neurodivergent. It is for this reason Katherine became a Trustee.
Katherine has developed the adult programme and specifically the Next Step course and Saturday Schools for adults. Her skills are in the areas of development work, training and research; both at strategic and operation levels. She has lectured in a range of HE/FE institutions and has managed local, regional and national projects that improve access to better opportunities for Neurodivergent adults in education, training and employment.
Katherine is the founder and CEO of the AchieveAbility charity for Neurodivergence and dyslexia. AchieveAbility was responsible for leading on the recent Westminster AchieveAbility Commission (WAC), resulting in the report ‘ Neurodiverse Voices:opening doors to employment’ (2018).
Eleanor Pearce – Treasurer
Since 2002 Eleanor has held the Hornsby Diploma SpLD. As well as being the Treasurer for WFDA, she is one of WFDA’s screeners for dyslexia for children from 5 – 16 years. Eleanor has a background working with children from 0 -16 as she has been heavily involved in her church for many years in this capacity and has worked in a local state primary school as a Literacy support teacher from 2004 – 2008. She is also a Dyslexia Specialist teacher and currently works at Sheila Ferrari Dyslexia Centre (formerly Avon House) and at home, working with children, mostly primary, but up to 16.
Katherine Marshall – Trustee
Katherine Marshall qualified as a secondary science teacher, working in London and Hong Kong. She also worked for the University of Papua New Guinea Teacher Training College, where she developed and taught an Advanced Diploma course for science teachers. Returning to England she worked as science advisor for the Waltham Forest Multicultural Support Services and gained a master’s degree in Education. Her two dyslexic children gave her a strong interest in dyslexia, with a deep sense of the value of dyslexic persons and the problems they face. She studied for the OCR Diploma in the Teaching of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties, which also qualifies for dyslexia assessment. She is a member of PATOSS, the professional association for teachers and assessors of dyslexia.
Though retired, she continues to work part-time as a freelance education consultant. She joined WFDA when it was formed in 1989 and was chair from 1999 to 2009.
Sadia Mirza – Trustee
I am a new trustee for WFDA. I have supported them for the past 5 years through attending their monthly Adults Meet-up and fundraising for them (I did a 10k run to raise the money). I believe in everyone being given an equal chance in reaching their full potential, and thus organisations like the WFDA are vital, where neurodiversity is understood, and essential services are provided for people who may have/have dyslexia.
I have taken lead on revamping the WFDA Instagram Page, as Social Media is a powerful tool and one that needs to be utilised to the fullest extent. I consider creativity to be one of my strengths, and already have a vision for the page!