A DOCUMENTARY aimed at giving important insight into dyslexia is due to be premiered at a film festival.

Help! I’m Invisible: Dyslexia the Hidden Disability is a documentary that looks at the stigma surrounding dyslexia and the obstacles those coping with the disorder have to overcome on a daily basis.

The film, which will be shown at this year’s Southend Film Festival, was made by Southend-born Jonah Ripley who was only diagnosed with the condition in 2013 at the age of 20 and felt there were issues that needed addressing.

Now 24, Jonah said: “I have previously worked in schools as a teaching assistant and people’s attitudes to dyslexia haven’t changed that much from when I was a kid.

“There has been improvement but I think understanding could definitely get better.

“Teachers and education professionals still seem reluctant to spot the condition.

“So that’s why I wanted to make this film - to give people an insight into what it’s like to have dyslexia.

“Rather than looking at the medical aspect, it’s more about the stick you get when you have been diagnosed with it.”

Jonah shares his personal experience of dyslexia and how it impacts on his life daily.

He said: “If I am having a conversation then sometimes it can take me a considerable amount of time to pick the right words to say.

“My handwriting has not improved since I was four years old and obviously there’s the spelling problems. I just feel if people know more about it, then they would be more patient.”

In his documentary, Jonah, from Westcliff, speaks to one of the UK’s leading experts on the condition, Alex Tait, who lectures at Oxford University.

Jonah also interviews Adam Partington, a TV presenter who writes for the London Evening Standard.

Jonah, who also presents a web series called Tech Hunters with Radio 1’s Julia Harding, added: “The most interesting thing about Adam is that he is a writer for well-renowned newspapers.

“This is a huge deal for dyslexics to see all around the country because it shows you don’t have to restrict your career because of it.”

The documentary cost £2,500 out of Jonah’s own pocket and he did all the filming, directing and producing himself.

The film will be shown at the Odeon in Southend as part of the Southend Film Festival, which takes place from May 25 to 29.