- Henry Winkler as The Fonz (by geoftheref, reproduced under CC license)
Actor Henry Winkler may be better known to millions as TV icon Arthur ‘The Fonz’ Fonzarelli from the hit US TV comedy Happy Days, but this week he received an honorary OBE in recognition of his work to highlight awareness of dyslexia in schools.
For the last two years, Mr Winkler, who was himself diagnosed with dyslexia as a adult, has toured UK schools talking to children about the learning disability, with the aid of a series of children’s books he has written chronicling the day-to-day issues facing a youthful dyslexic, Hank Zipzer.
British ambassador Nigel Sheinwald presented the OBE to Mr Winkler during a ceremony at the British Embassy in Washington and said of the actor when presenting the award:
“Thousands of young people have seen him as a role model and an inspiration for overcoming their learning challenges.”
Although the University can’t call upon the services of the Fonz, we do have the next best thing, courtesy of our own Disabilities and Additional Needs Service (DANS), which is here to provide support, advice and guidance to students suffering from physical and learning disabilities such as dyslexia.
To find out more, why not visit their website here?