CONWAY -- The founder of the Arkansas Dyslexia Support Group said she hopes sales of a specialty license plate rev up revenue for the organization.
The new plate debuted this month at state revenue offices offices throughout the state, according to an Arkansas Dyslexia Support Group news release. Money from plate sales will support the nonprofit entity's advocacy work for students, according to the release.
"This was a way that we could generate some revenue and get some awareness for dyslexia," said Audie Alumbaugh, who founded the Arkansas Dyslexia Support Group in 2022.
Alumbaugh, a longtime educator who retired from the University of Central Arkansas in 2016, said the Arkansas Dyslexia Support Group provides free advocacy for children in the state. The Support Group also works with experts to assist families of children with dyslexia, according to the news release.
Dyslexia is a brain-based learning disability that impairs reading ability and affects about one in every five people, making it the most commonly diagnosed learning disability, according to the National Center on Improving Literacy.
"With all the studies associated with literacy and delinquency and criminality, it doesn't look good," Alumbaugh said. "So we've got to get this fixed. And kids are worth it. We can fix this. We have to have a literate society."
Alumbaugh, an education and reading advocate, said a heart issue made her realize she won't be around forever and needed help with her cause.
She said she's the only one at the Support Group and it's a volunteer position. Alumbaugh hopes plate revenue leads to hiring an advocate to join her.
"I've got to get somebody in here, and I know people have to be paid," Alumbaugh said. "It could be a full-time or a part-time advocate, depending on the income from the plates."
The dyslexia support specialty plate costs $35, according to the state revenue office in Fayetteville. Alumbaugh noted she has no personal financial interest in the plate initiative.
The plates went on sale Jan. 2, and some who bought them tagged her in posts, Alumbaugh said.
"One day, I think I received 10 texts," Alumbaugh said. "I'm hopeful that they're selling out."
Scott Hardin, spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, said 35 of the plates had been issued as of Jan. 22.
The Arkansas Dyslexia Support Group receives $25 from each plate sold, Alumbaugh said.
Hardin said specialty plates are established through the Legislature, and groups seeking a new plate must work with lawmakers. It cost $20,000 to fund the dyslexia plate inventory, Alumbaugh said.
"From the $20,000, $15,000 is dedicated to DFA to program each of our 134 revenue offices to process the plate and create unique inventory tracking," Hardin said.
"The remaining $5,000 is provided to Waldale, the company that actually produces the plates. The $5,000 is for the full process of placing the design on the plate, from the first draft to the final product."
The plates will continue to be produced based on sales, he said.
"I'm not going to run out of license plates anytime soon at the revenue offices," Alumbaugh said. "Once they get going, they can generate more."
The state offers 71 different specialty plates, the most popular being the University of Arkansas plate featuring a Razorbacks logo, Hardin said.