Families can really make a difference. Many times, they are the last place to find encouragement or to help find a connection to the next opportunity in life. MARC’S UNCLE Marc shared with me that he grew up in a family that was poor with both parents working full-time to make ends meet. He had been an unexpected baby and an additional financial burden to the family. When he grew up, he recalled being a “clumsy kid” who wasn’t successful in sports like his older brother. His brother and his father connected through sports, but Marc had a harder time seeing ahead to his future because he wasn’t good in sports in addition to his problems in school. Fortunately, though there was an uncle […]
Creative, Successful, Dyslexic and Dyslexia Is My Superpower Author Margaret Rooke
Margaret Rooke is the British author of Creative Successful Dyslexic and Dyslexia is My Superpower. Her books can be purchased online HERE or HERE. Margaret also wrote us , and shared the following from her personal journey with dyslexia: "All parents are...
Huge Win for Dyslexia in Federal Court
Federal Court Orders Clark County School District to Reimburse Parents $456,000. A federal court has ordered a school district to reimburse a family that had accumulated significant expenses to document their student's educational needs with dyslexia, ADHD, and...
Made by Dyslexia: Kate Griggs
Social entrepreneur Kate Griggs from the UK has a new book called "This is Dyslexia." Recently, Fernette had the chance to catch up with Kate Griggs, founder of the global charity Made by Dyslexia. It's mission is to "help the world to understand, value and...
Dyslexia Advocacy: Say Dyslexia 2.0
From Chalkbeat’s story, “NYC plans to screen nearly 200,000 students in the early grades to uncover struggling readers. Then what?” “In a massive bid to gauge reading skills following COVID-related learning disruptions, New York City’s education department is introducing literacy screening for its nearly 200,000 children in kindergarten through second grade… While the education department’s screeners aren’t designed to identify students at risk of having dyslexia, which is the most common learning disability, they are able to identify learning gaps in skills that are often associated with dyslexia, literacy experts say. But many also note that screening alone will not address systemic issues that contribute to widespread literacy deficits across the city, such as uneven curriculum and inadequate teacher training. The success of the […]
Princess Beatrice: The Gift of Dyslexia
“Even referring to it as a diagnosis, I feel, does a disservice to the brilliance of some of the most fantastic minds that we have… just shifting the narrative a little bit towards something that is positive, something that is impactful, can really help everyone.” – Princess Beatrice Princess Beatrice is expecting her first child and she spoke about how she sees dyslexia as a gift. From an interview with Giovanna Fletcher: “I was very lucky that when I was first told that I had dyslexia, not one person around me ever made me feel like it was a ‘lesser than’ scenario. It was always about moving forward, it was always about what you could do. Never about what you can’t. And that’s something […]
The Reading Wars: Will Dyslexic Students Be Helped?
"Over the long term in reading, the lowest performing students – those readers who struggle the most – have made no progress from the first NAEP administration almost 30 years ago..." There are discouraging reports from the 2019 NAEP Reading Assessment. NAEP stands...
Dyslexia and the NEW SAT [Premium]
The new SAT started March 2016. From the New York Times, “What’s true of the writing section is true of the new SAT in general: There’s much more to read. “The most fundamental change is that there are many, many more words,” said Aaron Golumbfskie, education director for PrepMatters. “If you don’t read well and happily, this test isn’t going to be your friend.” Even the math section will require more reading, with fewer questions based on equations and more word problems. Some prompts will present the same type of real-world situations that the Common Core emphasizes — “The recommended daily calcium intake for a 20-year-old is 1,000 milligrams (mg). One cup of milk contains 299 mg….” Mr. Golumbfskie describes the math section as “tighter […]
Too Much Homework for Dyslexic Students [Premium]
Test Accommodations for Students with Dyslexia Under the ADA – DOJ Statement
The Department of Justice has also released video clarification of key rights for students regarding testing accommodations under the ADA or Americans with Disabilities Act. The entire video is located at the bottom of this post, but we are highlighting a section...
Dyslexia and Accommodations – ADA Guidelines for School and Work
The US Department of Justice just released final regulations regarding the implementation of the American for Disabilities Act. "These rules clarify and refine issues that have arisen over the past 20 years and contain new and updated requirements." Direct link to the...
Response to Intervention RTI Hurts Students with Dyslexia
RTI or Response To Intervention is currently the dominant approach to reading instruction in public schools across the United States (over 70% of school districts), but in a just-released progress report funded by the Department of Education from the Institute of...
