What is the name of your organization?
Words Without Limits
What is the name of your solution?
Words Without Limits
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Equipping low-income students with the reading support they need through accessible, high-quality dyslexia therapy and digital access.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Colorado Springs, CO, USA
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
USA
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
We are solving the literacy crisis among low-income students with dyslexia—students who are disproportionately left behind due to systemic inequities in education. Dyslexia affects 15–20% of the population, yet only 5% are formally diagnosed and receiving intervention. In Southeast Colorado Springs, many students attend Title I schools that lack the resources, training, or staff to provide structured literacy programs. As a result, these students often fall behind in reading by third grade—the strongest predictor of high school graduation and long-term success.
Private dyslexia therapy can cost over $5,000 per year—far out of reach for many families. Without early intervention, students with dyslexia face higher rates of academic failure, poverty, and even incarceration. Nationally, over 60% of fourth graders are not proficient in reading. Locally, districts like Harrison D2 serve high-poverty populations with limited access to intervention services.
Words Without Limits eliminates these barriers by providing free and affordable dyslexia therapy and literacy support. We reach students where they are—at school, home, or online—using research-based interventions and a human-centered approach. Our goal is to ensure that every child, regardless of income or zip code, has the opportunity to learn to read.
What is your solution?
Words Without Limits is a nonprofit that provides free and affordable dyslexia therapy to low-income students in Southeast Colorado Springs. Our solution delivers evidence-based, personalized reading intervention to children who would otherwise go without support—using a hybrid model of in-person, in-school, and virtual services.
We use structured literacy programs like Take Flight, grounded in the Orton-Gillingham approach, to teach students how to decode and understand language. Each child receives one-on-one or small-group sessions with a trained specialist, either on their school campus, in their home, or virtually via Zoom. For many families, this flexible model removes the transportation and scheduling barriers that often block access to support.
Technology plays a key role: we use secure teletherapy platforms, digital assessments, and student progress tracking to personalize learning and measure outcomes. We also offer family literacy workshops, teacher training, and a digital library of dyslexia-friendly resources.
Our approach is designed to be scalable and inclusive—meeting students where they are, equipping parents and educators, and building a sustainable ecosystem of literacy support. We’re not just closing the literacy gap—we’re transforming how communities respond to it.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Words Without Limits serves low-income students in Southeast Colorado Springs—primarily children with dyslexia and other reading disabilities who attend under-resourced Title I schools. These students are bright, capable learners, but without early, structured intervention, they fall behind in reading and often never catch up. Their families, many of whom cannot afford private assessments or tutoring, are left with limited options and little support.
These students are currently underserved by both public and private systems. Schools may lack trained specialists or capacity to provide individualized, evidence-based intervention. Meanwhile, the high cost of private dyslexia therapy places it out of reach for most families in our community.
Our solution changes that. By offering free or low-cost dyslexia therapy in schools, homes, and online, we eliminate the barriers of cost, transportation, and access. We empower students to gain confidence and master foundational literacy skills—transforming their academic trajectory and long-term opportunities. We also support their families through workshops, advocacy, and tools they can use at home.
By intervening early and consistently, we’re not only helping students read—we’re unlocking their full potential and restoring hope in communities where literacy is too often a privilege, not a right.
