In your mind's eye imagine the following:
There's a train coming into a stop. On the platform there are 25 kids waiting eagerly to jump on the train. The kids are excited, curious, and innocent. They want to jump on the train! As the wheels roll slowly to a stop, kids jump on, but before all of the kids can get on, the train is off and far out of view. So, the kids run hoping to get on at the next stop, and some do, but some still miss it. So, the remaining kids run and hope to get on at the next stop, a few do, but many still don't. And on and on it goes.
You may be wondering why all of the kids were unable to get on at the first stop. You may be wondering how some 5 year-olds can catch a fast moving train all on their own. The truth is, many cannot.
Now, instead of a train moving quickly on a track taking some kids and not others, imagine a kindergarten classroom of those same 25 kids some understanding the curriculum and progressing and others running along side the 'train' longingly trying to get on. Those few kids who got on later down the track, those are kids who were able to get out-of-district testing, were diagnosed with dyslexia, and were given an appropriate plan for their learning style. Those kids who are still running hoping to somehow get on the train are kids without the funding or resources to get out-of-district testing, who are trying to get on the train, and will do anything to get inside. Sometimes they jump on the side, climb on the top and try to drop in, but they're identified as a 'behavior problem'. All they were trying to do was to get on the train with everyone else.
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Black. Lives. Matter.
This is not negotiable. This is not political. This is a human rights matter.
Black. Lives. Matter.
The question then becomes:
"If Black Lives Matter then why are Blacks disproportionately identified as having behavior 'issues' or not making the academic growth they need?
If Black Lives Matter then why are so many Black men seen in our prisons when they really needed to have had support in the classroom?"
We share our thoughts on this matter below.
We ask that you read it in full, become uncomfortable, and commit to learning and growing.
“Talk Much?” by Morgan Baker 2018 Winter Contest winner — Special Edition
When our 2018 winter contest judge Kelli Agodon awarded 3rd Place to Morgan Baker’s personal essay “Talk Much?” she commented:
As someone who loves finding words inside of words and who has struggled with dyslexia, I thought “Talk Much?” was an intriguing look at what the world (or the words) look like through dyslexia. The author’s joy in her own misreading and mistakes made this an engaging read where I found myself looking forward to what she would share. This essay worked as a smart reminder how dyslexia has nothing to do with intellect, but also an authentic account of how uncomfortable it can feel to mispronounce words. The author’s thoughtfulness in how she practices students’ names to names to get them correct was both endearing and inspiring to me.
It takes courage to write about one’s disability. The result, however, is an invitation to readers to experience the world differently and to understand that experience.
Marketing firm posts "only dyslexics need apply" job advert.
A marketing firm has released a job advertisement that stipulates applicants must be dyslexic as it wants employees who think differently.
The ad – which features a photograph of the Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who was dyslexic – says: “We require people with a unique mind, so only dyslexics (like Steve) should apply.”
It was released by the Garage, which aims to provide “innovative thinking” for businesses. The new marketing consultancy was founded by Chris Arnold, a former creative director at the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi who describes himself as a “dyslexic entrepreneur”.
Arnold said he does not care if the ad is seen as a discriminatory against non-dyslexics. “If you wanted to assemble the world’s best choir you’d want great singers, not tone-deaf ones. We are simply looking for the best innovative thinkers and they are usually dyslexics,” he said.
Arnold cited the example of another dyslexic businessman, Richard Branson, and also a number of historical figures who are believed to have been dyslexic, including Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci and Thomas Edison.
The Advertising Standards Authority said the advert did not appear to go against its code. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has yet to comment.
The ad highlights a debate among experts about whether dyslexia, which affects up to 10% of the population, should be regarded as a disability. In December the Guardian revealed Britain’s largest sperm bank was turning away donors with dyslexia, which it described as a “common genetic disease”. It has since reviewed its policy after the intervention of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.
Earlier this week it emerged that Starbucks lost a disability discrimination case after it wrongly accused a dyslexic employee of falsifying documents when she had simply misread numbers she was responsible for recording.
Commenting on the Starbucks case, Arnold said: “Dyslexia isn’t a disability, it’s an inability in an linear environment, but a great ability in a creative one. Dyslexics are great at creativity, imagination, strategic thinking and problem solving.”
A spokesman for the ASA said: “There’s nothing in the advertising code that specifically prohibits a company from producing recruitment ads that seek dyslexic candidates only. The advertiser might be best advised to make sure it follows any equality and diversity laws.”
Richard Freedman, an employment lawyer at Rosenblatt Solicitors, said the ad may be controversial but is allowed under existing legislation.
“This advert ... seeks to favour those with a potential disability,” he said. “The Equality Act 2010 expressly states that treating someone with a disability more favourably than a person who is not disabled is not direct discrimination. On the other hand, many people in society are of the view that any kind of discrimination is wrong; so the concept of positive discrimination remains controversial with numerous arguments for and against such an approach.”
He added: “This advertisement may well be permissible legally under the Equality Act, but employers should remain vigilant to ensure their job adverts, or indeed the resulting recruitment processes applied thereafter, do not inadvertently disadvantage potential candidates who do or may possess a protected characteristic.”
The British Dyslexia Association said it was “against discrimination of any kind”. But a spokeswoman added: “We would encourage employers to be aware of the positive strengths and abilities that dyslexic individuals can bring.”
Source: http://gu.com/p/4gj8e/sbl
Decoding Dyslexia
Decoding Dyslexia is a network of parent-led grassroots movements across the country concerned with the limited access to educational interventions for dyslexia within the public education system. We aim to raise dyslexia awareness, empower families to support their children and inform policy-makers on best practices to identify, remediate and support students with dyslexia.
Eye to Eye National
We are the only national mentoring movement that pairs kids who have learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (LD / ADHD) with college and high school mentors who have been similarly labeled. Using our arts-based curriculum, mentors help their mentees understand their unique way of learning and thinking, building self-esteem and skills they need to become self-advocates.
Source: http://www.eyetoeyenational.org/
NOTICEABILITY
What Inspired by the neuroscientific discoveries presented in The Dyslexic Advantage, NoticeAbility’s curricula provide authentic inquiry experiences in vocational subject matters that capitalize on the neurological strengths of students with dyslexia: entrepreneurship, engineering, architecture and the arts.
Source: http://www.noticeability.org
The Gary Cohn Dyslexic Story
Wall Street titan Gary Cohn, the president and chief operating officer of Goldman Sachs, last week celebrated his 25th anniversary at the bank.
Source http://www.businessinsider.com/how-goldman-gary-cohn-got-to-wall-street-2015-5
Success tip: Think like a dyslexic
The inability to decipher text is a curse for most people with dyslexia. It makes them outsiders in a world where everything is written. But for some, the condition has become a strength. The way their brains compensate has been a defining element of their outrageous success.
Dyslexia – the invisible fuel of entrepreneurs?
Can dyslexia turn out to be a desirable difficulty? It is hard to believe that it can, given how many people struggle with the disorder throughout their lives— except for a strange fact.
Are Dyslexia and Wealth Linked? Study Finds Individuals with Dyslexia More Likely to Be Millionaires
In an attempt to learn more about the minds of millionaires, a team of psychologists and business experts, spent a day testing a group of entrepreneurial millionaires. They were put through a series of tests. 40% of the 300 millionaires who participated in the more comprehensive study had been diagnosed with dyslexia.