15 - 20% of the population worldwide has dyslexia.
Dyslexia is not an intellectual disability and many, if not most,
dyslexics have above average intellects (see Famous Dyslexics).
Dyslexia affects, among other things,
reading, writing, attention, rote memorization, and math.
As we learn how to effect positive change,
we will support organizations
that advocate for appropriate, scientifically sound, school curriculum.
Early literacy curriculum must be based in the science of reading
for most kids, including dyslexics, to become fluent readers + writers.
Why does District 65's early literacy curriculum
make reading more difficult for dyslexics?
see below to learn what's up with our curriculum.
Advocating for kids identified with dyslexia
CREATING A DYSLEXIA PARENT GROUP
A NATIONAL DISCUSSION
MAY 18, 2022, 6PM CST
THE PROBLEM: Our nation has a Reading Crisis
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The majority of Illinois students struggle to read. On the 2019 Illinois Assessment of Readiness, 61% of 3rd through 8th graders did not meet expectations in reading.
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Black and Hispanic children are disproportionately harmed by poor reading instruction, accounting for two-thirds of struggling readers.
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Students who cannot read at grade-level by the 3rd grade are four times less likely to graduate high school, and consequently are at high risk of unemployment and even incarceration.
THE SOLUTION: Parent advocacy for strategies that work, inlcuding:
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Effecive teacher training
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EARLY Dyslexia Screening
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Robust AT supports
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Robust 504s & IEPs
NPR Podcast documentaries
NPR Report on why our district's early literacy curriculum
makes it hard for dyslexic kids to learn to read.
This was aired Aug. 22, 2019,
In Feb., 2021, District 65 acknowledged problems
with the curriculum and is opening an audit.
By the time change is effected, how will your child have been affected?
There are proven ways to help people with dyslexia learn to read, and a federal law that's supposed to ensure schools provide kids with help. But across the country, public schools are denying children proper treatment
and often failing to identify them with dyslexia in the first place.
This podcast is the first in an annual series on education by Emily Hanford.
A movie about parents who took on the system, and won.
In 2010, a group of parents in a suburban school district in Ohio discovered their children had something in common – they could not read. They were languishing in a reading intervention program and their dyslexia was not being identified or remediated as is required by federal law under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The group banded together to form the Upper Arlington Kids Identified with Dyslexia (UA-KID). Together they filed a systemic, group complaint with the Ohio Department of Education and the district was found in violation on all allegations. Then, they formed a partnership with the district and now work shoulder to shoulder to deliver the nationally recognized early literacy program they built together.
Join our Feb., 2022 Zoom Meeting to hear one of their founders speak about their work.
Film documentaries
Parent group advocacy plans
The Ohio group,
Upper Arlington Kids Identified with Dyslexia
(UA-KID)
Join our Zoom meeting Feb. 23, 2022 at 7pm to hear one of the
Ohio group founders speak of their purpose.
The Ohio group,
Upper Arlington Kids Identified with Dyslexia
(UA-KID)
Dyslexia expert videos
Watch a powerful new videos featuring YCDC Co-Director Dr. Sally Shaywitz as she delves into her award-winning book OVERCOMING DYSLEXIA (2nd Edition) and answers questions for parents & educators as they head back-to-school during uncertain times. Hosted by KPJR films, tens of thousands of people have already watched this “fireside chat” and the reviews have been extraordinary. One person said Overcoming Dyslexia “should be required reading.”
Illinois dyslexia advocacy organizations
We are an Illinois-based coalition of parents, educators, school board members, and community advocates who believe that all children – regardless of their zip code, race, ethnicity, disability, first language, or income – deserve equitable access to evidence-based literacy instruction.
Improving the lives of children and adults with dyslexia.
Everyone Reading Illinois’ mission is to improve the lives of children and adults with dyslexia and related learning disabilities through high quality professional development for teachers, increased public awareness and support for families.
Universities studying dyslexia + teaching
States are taking notice and passing new laws to ensure that schools are using research-based reading instruction. Such legislation lands squarely on one side of the reading wars: the side backed by the science of reading. So, what should educators and parents know about the science of reading? Here is a basic summary, plus two important beyond-basic facts to inform educators’ choices of reading programs.
Our mission is to increase awareness of dyslexia and its true nature, specifically to illuminate the creative and intellectual strengths of those with dyslexia, to disseminate the latest scientific research and practical resources, and to transform the treatment of all dyslexic children and adults.