Dyslexia Advocates Convene on National Mall to Celebrate Dyslexia Progress Nationwide
Sacramento, CA July 6, 2016 — On Monday, July 11, from 3-5 pm (EDT), dyslexia advocates from across the USA will convene at the United States Capitol in DC for the inaugural #sayDyslexia Rally 2016. The Rally kicks off 3 days of dyslexia events and celebrations that include a Dyslexia Youth Advocacy Camp, a book signing by Ameer Baraka, a Senate Luncheon on Breaking the School to Prison Pipeline, a Dyslexia Congressional Reception and a symposium in the House of Representatives that focuses on “What You Need to Know About Dyslexia.”
Members will be attending from the national Decoding Dyslexia grassroots organization representing all 50 states and will include parents, children, teachers, advocates and organizations whose combined efforts have led to significant legislative, regulatory and policy changes regarding dyslexia.
Congressional action on dyslexia to date includes:
- Bi-Partisan House and Senate Dyslexia Caucuses with over 100 Members;
- A Letter of Support for US Education Department’s Dyslexia Guidance: Congressional Dyslexia Caucus Members;
- Two new federal laws on dyslexia:
- ESSA – Comprehensive Literacy Centers for Students with Specific Learning Disabilities/Dyslexia: Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the Literacy Centers will focus on identifying, developing and delivering information to educators and parents to better meet the needs of students who may struggle with reading, writing, language processing, comprehension or executive functioning due to a disability like dyslexia; and,
- HR 3033 – The Read Act: Research Grants for Dyslexia: The READ Act provides funding to the National Science Foundation for research on dyslexia and includes early identification of children and students with dyslexia, professional development for teachers and administrators of students with dyslexia, curricula and educational tools needed for children with dyslexia, and implementation and scaling of successful models of dyslexia intervention.
- Senate Resolution 275 – Dyslexia Awareness: Mikulski (D-MD) and Cassidy (R-LA)
- Congressional Dyslexia Hearings: House – The Science of Dyslexia; House- Dyslexia and the Need to Read; Senate – Understanding Dyslexia
- Congressional Dyslexia Caucus from Disability to Possibility: Efforts to Raise Awareness and Facilitate Wholesale Change in Education
For more information: http://www.decodingdyslexiamd.org/events/saydyslexia-rally-kicks-off-dc-dyslexia-celebrations
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