Madras Dyslexia Association

What Madras Dyslexia Association does

Madras Dyslexia Association (MDA) is a non-profit service organization founded in 1992 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, by parents of children with dyslexia, educationists, and philanthropists. It provides screening, formal assessment, remediation, guidance and counselling, and teacher training for children with Specific Learning Differences (SLD), and operates Resource Rooms in 46+ partner schools across India. Its service portfolio includes part-time and full-time remediation (the latter through the dedicated Ananya Learning and Research Centre), structured teacher training programs, awareness drives, and the Count On Me Maths Teaching Toolkit (priced at Rs. 17,700).

MDA's commercial product layer is anchored by the MDA Avaz Reader — an OCR-based assistive reading app with text-to-speech and audio pronunciation features, offered as a subscription at Rs. 600 per year and built in partnership with IIT Madras's Invention Lab. The organization also delivers the free MDA e-Shikshanam online teacher-training course through NPTEL-IIT Madras, extending its curriculum to a national audience. The business model blends earned revenue (assessments, app subscriptions, toolkit sales, paid teacher training) with donor-funded program delivery from a broad base of corporate, foundation, and Rotary Club supporters including the Cognizant Foundation, Chennai Super Kings, and the Rotary Club of Madras Central (a long-standing supporter since 1995). Brand reach is amplified by Indian cricketer R. Ashwin, who has served as Goodwill Ambassador since 2016. The operating entity reports a 27-employee headcount and is governed by an elected executive committee led by President D. Chandrasekhar.

Name

Madras Dyslexia Association

Legal name

Madras Dyslexia Association

Website

https://mdachennai.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Madras Dyslexia Association is a Chennai-based non-profit (founded 1992, 27 staff) that screens, assesses, and remediates children with Specific Learning Differences, runs Resource Rooms in 46+ Indian schools, and sells the Avaz Reader OCR-based assistive reading app and teacher-training programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Learning Disabilities & Dyslexia Schools & Programs (EDAKAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reading Intervention & Remediation (Decoding, Fluency, Comprehension) (EDAKAJAD), Dyslexia Screening & Diagnostic Evaluation (EDAKAJAA), Literacy Intervention & Dyslexia Support Programs (Gen Ed) (EDAJAGAF)

Keywords

• Dyslexia remediation services
• Special education programs
• Teacher training courses
• Learning disability assessment
• Assistive reading technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Chennai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. MDA Avaz Reader App Subscription: Annual subscription model for the assistive reading app providing continuous support for dyslexic readers.
2. Teacher Training Courses: MDA e-Shikshanam online course (free with optional paid exam), Intensive Teacher Training Program, Basic Teacher Training, Weekend Teacher Training programs for individuals interested in teaching children with dyslexia.
3. Educational Assessment Services: Screening and full educational assessments for children with learning difficulties, provided to parents and schools.
4. Donations and Grants: Non-profit funding from corporate donors, trusts, and individual philanthropists supporting operations and teacher training programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Madras Dyslexia Association is a non-profit service organization that provides comprehensive dyslexia intervention including screening and full educational assessments, part-time after-school remediation, full-time remediation through the Ananya Learning and Research Centre, school-based resource room setup, and teacher training programs. The organization also offers the MDA Avaz Reader assistive reading application and the MDA e-Shikshanam online remedial instruction course.

Product overview

Madras Dyslexia Association operates as a non-profit service organization founded in 1992, offering a comprehensive portfolio of dyslexia intervention products and services. The core offerings include MDA Avaz Reader (an assistive reading app with OCR and text-to-speech capabilities), MDA e-Shikshanam (an online teacher training course via NPTEL-IIT Madras), and the Ananya Learning and Research Centre (full-time remediation program). Supporting services include part-time after-school remediation, educational assessment, guidance and counseling, awareness programs, school resource room setup, and teacher training courses. The organization serves children with dyslexia ages 3-12, their parents, and mainstream teachers through both direct intervention programs and capacity-building initiatives for schools across India.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MDA Avaz Reader: An assistive reading app for readers with learning difficulties, developed by MDA in collaboration with Invention Lab-IIT Madras Alumni venture
• Ananya Learning and Research Centre
• Tamil Vazhi Payirchi
• MDA e-Shikshanam

Products and services

• MDA Avaz Reader Assistive reading app for readers with learning difficulties using OCR technology to convert printed text into readable format, with multi-sensory scaffolds including text-to-speech, visual customization, line-by-line display, pencil tracking, picture hints, and sentence-building assistance.
• MDA e-Shikshanam Free 7-week online course empowering primary school teachers to support children with mild to moderate dyslexia through modular, self-paced sessions covering strategies for reading, spelling, writing, and mathematics difficulties.
• Ananya Learning and Research Centre (ALRC) Full-time pull-out remediation centre for children ages 6-12 with Specific Learning Difficulties, providing individualized education programs based on multi-sensory approaches with holistic development including yoga, dramatics, music, art & craft, games, and Hydra therapy. Minimum 1-year program.
• Part-Time Remediation After-school remedial help for children with mild to moderate dyslexia using individualized, systematic, cumulative multi-sensory instruction that starts from the child's comfort level and uses their strengths to address needs.
• Assessment Services Screening for younger children to identify risk factors and full educational assessments for children above 6 years, including evaluation of attention, language, comprehension, writing skills, visual perception, and motor planning, with detailed reports on strengths and needs.
• Guidance and Counselling Parent counseling sessions to understand child's difficulties, with recommendations for educational assessment and referrals to occupational therapists, speech therapists, counselors, clinical psychologists, and child psychiatrists as needed.
• Resource Rooms Setup and support for resource rooms within schools to help children with Specific Learning Disabilities join the mainstream, including teacher training, Individualized Education Plan development, and ongoing monitoring by MDA specialists.
• Teacher Training Programs Training programs including Intensive Teacher Training (6 weeks theory + 8 weeks internship), Basic Teacher Training, Weekend Teacher Training, and Student Training to create qualified special educators.
• Count On Me - Maths Teaching Toolkit A structured and step-by-step maths resource that helps teachers guide children from confusion to clarity, priced at Rs. 17,700.

Quantifiable outcome

• Resource rooms established in 46+ schools throughout India
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Invention Lab (IIT Madras Alumni Venture)coreTechnology or IntegrationMDA Avaz Reader was developed by MDA in collaboration with Invention Lab, an IIT Madras Alumni venture. The app uses cutting-edge technology including OCR for text recognition and works on Apple and Android devices. This partnership enables the technical development of the assistive reading application.
• NPTEL - IIT MadrascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMDA e-Shikshanam course was developed by Madras Dyslexia Association and produced by NPTEL (National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning) at IIT Madras. The 7-week online course is hosted on the NPTEL platform making it accessible to teachers across India.
• Vidya Sagar, ChennaicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHydra project team at MDA works in technical partnership with Vidya Sagar, Chennai, which focuses on nurturing the natural potential of dyslexic children in a caring and non-threatening environment.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• British Dyslexia Association: UK national dyslexia charity with similar awareness, training, and resource dissemination model. Comparable mission but operates in the UK rather than India.

Emerging players

• Lexercise: Online dyslexia therapy and professional training platform. Comparable in providing structured literacy intervention and teacher training, though delivered virtually rather than in-person.
• Nessy Learning: UK-based digital platform for dyslexia intervention with structured literacy programs. Comparable as a digital intervention tool for dyslexic learners, though commercial rather than non-profit.

Broad incumbents

• International Dyslexia Association: Largest global dyslexia advocacy and resource organization. Comparable in mission of awareness, professional training, and resource dissemination, but operates on a much larger scale and broader geographic remit than MDA.

Direct peers

• National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD): US-based non-profit advocating for individuals with learning disabilities. Comparable as a non-profit providing resources, advocacy, and professional development for the LD/dyslexia community.
• Learning Disabilities Association of India (LDAI): National Indian non-profit supporting individuals with learning disabilities including dyslexia. Comparable in mission, target population, and Indian non-profit structure, though with broader LD scope than MDA.
• Latika Roy Foundation: India-based non-profit working with children with disabilities including learning difficulties. Comparable mission and operational model in providing direct services and capacity building.
• Dyslexia India: India-based dyslexia awareness and support organization. Directly comparable as an Indian non-profit serving dyslexic children, parents, and schools with similar awareness and remediation focus.
• Ummeed Child Development Center: Mumbai-based non-profit supporting children with developmental disabilities including learning disabilities. Comparable as an Indian non-profit offering assessment, intervention, and parent support services.

Others

• Avaz (by Invention Labs): Assistive communication and reading app developed by Invention Labs, MDA's technology partner. Comparable in the assistive technology space for special needs learners, though broader than dyslexia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/whattestpage
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/madras-dyslexia-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Madras Dyslexia Association