What do parents of children with dyslexia need to know? We’ve been thinking about that and are happy to announce that Parent to Parent of Georgia and IDA Georgia are teaming up to bring you a parent webinar series this September. 

Join us for this first webinar, hosted by IDA-GA Board Member Ashley Evans, who will welcome guest Missy Purcell, Education Chair for Decoding Dyslexia Georgia. Missy will take parents on a walk through the Georgia Department of Education’s Dyslexia Informational Handbook, which was released in early July 2025. After the walk-through, Ashley and Missy will spend time discussing further what parents need to know.  

Our host, Ashley Evans, M.Ed., Ed.S., joined the IDA-GA Board on January 1, 2025.  Ashley graduated from Mercer University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education in 2001. She earned a master’s degree in teaching reading from Georgia Southern and a specialist degree in curriculum & instruction from Georgia College & State University.  Her credentials include a reading and gifted endorsement, certification as an Orton Gillingham Classroom Educator (IMSE), and recognition by the Center for Effective Reading Instruction (CERI) as a Structured Literacy/Dyslexia Interventionist.  Ashley spent 22 years as an educator in Georgia’s public school system and currently serves as a second-grade teacher at Roberts Academy at Mercer University, an independent school in Macon, GA, for students with dyslexia. She is currently completing associate coursework for the Orton Gillingham Academy, with plans to continue her learning as a Fellow-in-Training. Ashley serves as a member of the K-2 Stakeholders Committee for the Georgia Department of Education’s Literacy Council. She is the proud mother of two amazing children and wife to her biggest fan. 

Our guest, Missy Purcell, holds a degree in middle school education with 15 + years of experience in the classroom, specializing in inclusion.  She is both a speaker and a passionate advocate for the science of reading. After successfully advocating for her dyslexic son’s right to read, Missy devoted the bulk of her time volunteering to support countless families of kids with learning differences. Missy is the co-founder of Gwinnett Advocates for Dyslexia, a grassroots organization that advocates for evidence-based instruction in Gwinnett County. Additionally, she serves as the Education Chair with Decoding Dyslexia Georgia, DDGA, which advocates for change at the state level. Missy is married to Mark, the mother of three boys, Harrison, William, and Matthew, and two furbabies, named Barkley and Bauer. When she’s not working or advocating, she can be found with coffee in hand at a band concert or the baseball fields cheering on her boys!

Parent to Parent of Georgia offers a variety of services to Georgia families impacted by disabilities or special healthcare needs. Our Vision is to be the source of choice for support, information, education, and leadership development for Georgians with disabilities or special health care needs, ages birth to 26, and their families. Our Mission is to support Georgia families and individuals from birth to 26 impacted by disabilities or special health care needs. Visit https://www.p2pga.org/

International Dyslexia Association – Georgia (IDA-GA) is a non-profit scientific and educational organization formed to increase public awareness of dyslexia. We are a resource and support system for parents, individuals with dyslexia, educators, and all others interested in IDA’s mission. Visit the Georgia Branch website at GA.dyslexiaida.org. To learn about a wide variety of Dyslexia-related topics, search IDA’s Dyslexia Digital Library at https://dyslexialibrary.org/.