October is recognized as Disability History and Awareness Month in Virginia. Princess Anne Middle School (PAMS) eighth-grader Ainsley Proctor wants people to know that October is also National Dyslexia Awareness Month.
“Dyslexia Awareness Month is an opportunity to enlighten educators and the community about dyslexia and to celebrate the many achievements of those with dyslexia,” Proctor told school board members at their Sept. 20 meeting at which they approved a resolution recognizing Dyslexia Awareness Month.
“Unlike what most people believe,” continued Proctor, “those of us with dyslexia don’t read backward. We also don’t write backward, and we don’t have low IQs. People with dyslexia are highly-intelligent and creative thinkers who can and do excel in the classroom when their dyslexia is identified early and remediated using evidence-based instruction.”
Supporting Proctor at the school board meeting were PAMS students Logan Hight and Andrew Glatt. The three students, who have worked to overcome their own challenges with dyslexia, are also involved with the Hampton Roads Chapter of Decoding Dyslexia Virginia. Proctor said the organization works to build awareness for the learning disability.
“It’s like a support group,” explained Proctor. “We’re trying to get bills passed. I went to Richmond in February when they were passing [House Bill] 842. I just wanted to be there when they passed it.”
The bill, effective July 1, 2017, requires that teachers seeking licensure or renewing a teaching license will need to complete awareness training on the indicators of dyslexia as well as interventions and accommodations for dyslexia. The legislation also requires teacher preparation programs to convey information on the identification of students at risk for learning disabilities, including dyslexia, other language-based disabilities and attention deficit disorder.
The importance of early identification and intervention was noted by Proctor during an interview at her school. Diagnosed with dyslexia in the second grade at the private school she attended, Proctor reflected, “I didn’t get the help I needed.”
She knows now, she wasn’t alone.
“Twenty percent of our school population has [dyslexia]. So someone you know has it,” said Proctor. “And currently kids with dyslexia don’t get the help they need and that’s what I really want to get across so that those kids don’t drop out of school and don’t fall behind.”
“They actually wanted to keep me behind in first grade,” she added.
Now in eighth grade, Proctor said she has overcome her dyslexia after having gone through the Wilson Reading System program with a tutor.
“I still have little challenges,” she said, “like left and right.”
Her experience with the Wilson Reading System was so positive that she hopes to be a tutor for the program one day.
“But I also really want to be an orthodontist. That’s really my passion,” she said, smiling with braces on of her own. “I love science. I’m taking earth science right now and it’s so fun. I enjoy it a lot. I love braces. I mean I don’t love them, but I would love to pursue that as a career and then maybe [tutor] on the side.”
In the meantime, Proctor said she, Hight and Glatt will continue their advocacy.
“Like I said, it effects 20 percent of our school population, so we really want to spread awareness for it and help those kids with it.”
Does the school system provide reading support for Children with Dyslexia? Do they provide the Wilson Reading System?
I feel bad for the people who have dyslexia because they probably got bullied and I also respect the dyslexia awareness month.