Events

Events sponsored by Decoding Dyslexia CA (DDCA) are indicated on the events calendar.  Local events held by other organizations may also be listed that may be of interest to our members. DDCA does not endorse any specific program or company.

Oct
9
Mon
Dyslexia & Phonological Processing 101 @ Online Event
Oct 9 @ 12:00 am – Oct 15 @ 11:45 pm


Parents, Advocates and Teachers – join us for a FREE one-hour introductory webinar on Dyslexia and Phonological Processing with an emphasis on one of the most widely used and popular assessments for reading-related phonological processing skills –
the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP-2).


This pre-recorded webinar will be presented by international dyslexia expert Dr. Richard Wagner, Ph.D., Principal Investigator of NICHD Florida Learning Disabilities Research Center, Associate Director, Florida Center for Reading Research and Co-Author of the CTOPP-2.  Dr. Wagner is also a member of the CA Department of Education’s Dyslexia Work Group that are producing statewide dyslexia guidelines to be released in August.

This webinar is intended for parents, guardians, teachers and advocates.

Participants must pre-register for this free 1 hour webinar.

Webinar will only be available for viewing during the following specified times:

October 9th at 8:00 a.m. (PDT) through October 15th at 11:00p.m. (PDT)

On October 8th, you will receive an email with the link and a password to access the webinar.

Click HERE to download the flyer.

Sponsored By:

Decoding Dyslexia CA is a grassroots movement driven by California families, educators and professionals concerned with the limited access to educational interventions for dyslexia and other language-based learning disabilities within our public schools.  We aim to raise dyslexia awareness, empower families to support their children, and inform policymakers on best practices to identify, remediate, and support students with dyslexia in CA public schools.

 

Susan Barton is the founder of Bright Solutions for Dyslexia and is recognized internationally as an expert in dyslexia.  She is in the Hall of Honor at the headquarters of the Internaitonal Dyslexia Association.  Her goal is to help parents, teachers, and others understand dyslexia so they can provide the appropriate help for dyslexics.  

 

 

 

Jul
9
Mon
STRUCTURED LITERACY SERIES For Teaching Students with Specific Learning Disabilities/Dyslexia @ SRVUSD Professional Development Center @ Los Cerros Middle
Jul 9 @ 8:30 am – Jul 13 @ 3:30 pm

Literacy How

Dr. Margie Gillis

Dr. Margie Gillis

Decoding Dyslexia CA is pleased to announce that dyslexia expert, Dr. Margie Gillis of Literacy How, will be coming to the San Francisco Bay Area this summer to provide a weeklong (30-hour) Structured Literacy training for sixty teachers.  DDCA is co-sponsoring this training with San Ramon Valley USD.  More information on how teachers can register for this training can be found here. This training will sell out so register early.

 

 

 

 

 

Watch the video to learn more about Dr. Gillis’ impressive background and the innovative way she is reinvesting her company’s profits into training teachers in Structured Literacy. Structured Literacy is a research-based approach to providing instruction that benefits, not only students with dyslexia, but all students.

Oct
20
Sat
Dyslexia Symposium @ Empire College
Oct 20 @ 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Please join co-founders Dr. Kelli Sandman-Hurley and Tracy Block-Zaretsky of Dyslexia Training Institute and Decoding Dyslexia CA for a one day Dyslexia Symposium.  Kelli and Tracy are the developers of the “Dyslexia for a Day” simulation kit.  Attendees will participate in a simulation followed by a discussion on AB 1369 and the new California Dyslexia Guidelines.  Kelli and Tracy will be discussing what dyslexia is, its neurobiological origin, structured literacy and appropriate accommodations for students with dyslexia.  Kelli was the key dyslexia expert  that testified in support of AB 1369.  In a powerful TEDEd video Dr. Kelli Sandman-Hurley urges us to think again about dyslexic brain function and to celebrate the neurodiversity of the human brain.

About our speakers:

Kelli Sandman-Hurley, Ed.D. is an author, TEDEd presenter and co-founder of the Dyslexia Training Institute. She received her doctorate in literacy with a specialization in reading and dyslexia from San Diego State University and the University of San Diego. She is also completing her TESOL certification. Dr. Kelli is a certified special education advocate assisting parents and children through the Individual Education Plan (IEP) and 504 Plan process. She has training in mediation and also serves as an expert witness in the area of dyslexia. Dr. Kelli is trained in Structured Word Inquiry, the Orton-Gillingham approach, Lindamood-Bell, RAVE-O and Read Naturally. Dr. Kelli is a Past-President of the San Diego Branch of the International Dyslexia Association. She is a dyslexia consultant working with schools to improve services offered to students with dyslexia and training teachers. She co-created and produced “Dyslexia for a Day: A Simulation of Dyslexia,” and she is a frequent speaker at conferences. She is the author of the well-received book, Dyslexia Advocate! How to Advocate for a Child with Dyslexia within the Public Education System.

 

Tracy Block-Zaretsky is the co-founder of the Dyslexia Training Institute. She has provided remediation for children and adults with dyslexia for the past 20 years and has developed and taught workplace and family literacy program. She is a certified Special Education advocate assisting parents and children through the Individual Education Plan (IEP) and 504Plan process. She is a past President of the San Diego Branch of the International Dyslexia Association.Tracy has training in Structured Word Inquiry, the Orton-Gillingham approach, Lindamood-Bell programs, Read Naturally and a variety of reading and writing assessments. She co-created and produced, “Dyslexia for a Day: A Simulation of Dyslexia,” and has provided professional development for educators and training for parents at numerous conferences, private on-site trainings and online courses and webinars. Tracy is also a parent of a child with dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADD and Executive Function Disorder.

 

Downloadable Flyer

Oct
24
Wed
International Dyslexia Association Annual Conference 2018 @ Foxwoods Resorts
Oct 24 @ 8:30 am – Oct 27 @ 5:00 pm

IDA’s Annual International Conference is the premier professional development conference dedicated to dyslexia. The conference brings in experts from all over the world to educate attendees on the latest research, remediation, and more.

The Reading, Literacy & Learning Conference is held for both professionals and families and is attended by some 2,500 teachers, educators, and administrators, reading specialists, researchers, university faculty, psychologists, physicians, tutors, and parents.

The four-day conference includes the following:

  • Four general sessions with keynote speakers
  • Full- and half-day pre-conference symposia
  • Over 100 sessions
  • Exhibit Hall
  • Networking opportunities
  • Social events
  • Visits to local schools
  • And much more!
Mar
21
Thu
Learning While Black in SFUSD @ African American Art and Culture Complex
Mar 21 @ 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Learning While Black in SFUSD – On March 21st, 5:30 – 8pm join the community in an educational panel round-table discussion and resource fair featuring Darryl Lester, the main plaintiff in the landmark special education case, Larry P. vs. California.

Mr. Lester was never taught how to read and was labeled “educable mentally retarded” in the 1970’s.  KALW, a local public radio station, produced a recent story of interest addressing a legacy of mistreatment of San Francisco’s black special education students.  The reporter stated the following about Mr. Lester, “it turns out, he did have a learning difficulty, a really specific one. He struggled with reading. He never got the help he needed.”

DDCA is concerned that SFUSD’s recent dyslexia pilot and implementation does not meet California dyslexia guidelines best practices.  Join us in discussing how SFUSD is meeting the needs of its current African American students with reading disabilities.

Downloadable Flyer

Sep
14
Sat
Students with Dyslexia: Essentials of Assessment @ California State University, East Bay - Valley Business and Technology Center - 124
Sep 14 @ 8:00 am – 12:30 pm

This half-day workshop will focus on the assessment of dyslexia. Dr. Mather will address the definition of dyslexia; the importance of assessing cognitive and linguistic processes, including phonological awareness, orthographic coding, processing speed, and rapid automatized naming. In addition, she will discuss several challenges inherent in the assessment of dyslexia, including: early identification, twice exceptional students, and co-occurring disorders, such as ADHD and language impairment.

This event is intended for school psychologists, speech and language professionals, resource specialists, special education and general education teachers, school administrators, educational therapists, and all credentialing candidates in these fields as well as professional advocates. This event is open to the general public, however, it should be noted that it will be somewhat technical in nature.

California State University East Bay and Decoding Dyslexia CA support best practices with respect to dyslexia as outlined by the California Dyslexia Guidelines. Net proceeds from this event will be used to host future CSUEB events to increase dyslexia awareness.

Registration opens at 8:00 a.m. Workshop is 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Dr. Mather’s Bio:

Nancy Mather is a Professor Emerita at the University of Arizona in the Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies. She is a coauthor of the WJ IV and has coauthored two books on the interpretation and application of the WJ IV: Essentials of WJ IV Tests of Achievement and Woodcock-Johnson IV: Reports, Recommendations, and Strategies. She has published numerous articles, conducts workshops on assessment and instruction both nationally and internationally, and has coauthored several books linking assessment and intervention, including Learning Disabilities and Challenging Behaviors (3rd ed.), Essentials of Assessment Report Writing (2nd. ed.), and Essentials of Dyslexia: Assessment and Intervention.