Nolan Rocha Buel, Julie Rocha Buel, Nivia Rocha Buel, Kathryn McElwee, Donna Schumacher, Harry Schumacher, Susan DeBonis, Cozzi DeBonis, Karen Holt, Stella Waag and Natalie Schumacher, of Decoding Dyslexia, traveled to Salem in March for a rally and hearing on a bill that offers students dyslexia support.
Nolan Rocha Buel, Julie Rocha Buel, Nivia Rocha Buel, Kathryn McElwee, Donna Schumacher, Harry Schumacher, Susan DeBonis, Cozzi DeBonis, Karen Holt, Stella Waag and Natalie Schumacher, of Decoding Dyslexia, traveled to Salem in March for a rally and hearing on a bill that offers students dyslexia support.
Together with Hood River County Library, Columbia Gorge Dyslexia Fund and the Columbia Gorge Chapter of Decoding Dyslexia invite all to attend a month of free activities in honor of October’s Dyslexia Awareness Month and in celebration of the newly enacted state law that promises to change the experience of Oregon’s dyslexic students for years to come.
The new law requires Oregon school districts to support teachers in understanding dyslexia so they can identify and provide effective instruction for students with dyslexia.
Over the next three years, every school district must ensure that at least one teacher is trained in recognizing and understanding dyslexia, and in providing instruction that is explicit, systematic and evidence-based. In the next year, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) must develop a plan where every kindergartner and first grader entering public school is screened for the warning signs of dyslexia and to report these results to parents. The ODE must also designate a full-time dyslexia specialist to support and provide resources to schools and families of dyslexic students.
“We are very excited about the passage of the law. This brings us one step closer to helping all children reach their fullest potential and that is something to celebrate,” said Julie Rocha Buel, co-founder of Columbia Gorge Dyslexia Fund, which is dedicated to empowering parents and educators with resources to help dyslexic children reach their greatest potential. Members of the Columbia Gorge Chapter of Decoding Dyslexia Oregon worked to pass the legislation, and traveled to Salem with their children last March for a rally and hearing on the bill.
The kick-off event is the showing of “The Dislecksia Movie,” on Oct. 3 at 3 p.m. The documentary by filmmaker Harvey Hubbell, who is himself dyslexic, wryly recounts growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, frustrated by a condition few could identify, let alone treat. Both poignant and comical in its style, the film features Supreme Court lawyer David Boies, television writer Stephen J. Cannell and actor Billy Bob Thornton, among others, who discuss how dealing with dyslexia led to their personal successes.
Among the wide variety of information sources to be displayed at the library is a banner of both local and famous dyslexics. “It is inspiring for youngsters who struggle with dyslexia to see that people like Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Nobel Prize winner geneticist Carol Greider, or Steven Spielberg are wired the same way they are,” said Susan DeBonis, parent and member of Decoding Dylexia. “And it’s important for the rest of the ‘non-dyslexics’ to understand how people with dyslexia very often have much-needed gifts to share.”
The local pictures aim to dispel the myth that dyslexia is something to be ashamed of or something to hide. “It’s time for the stigma of dyslexia to end,” said Donna Schumacher of Decoding Dyslexia. “Being a fast reader and a good speller should not be the only ticket to success in school. We are happy to be part of the effort to shift our understanding.”
On October 17, from 3-5:30 p.m., Families And Community Together (FACT) will provide training to families who want to become advocates for their children in school. Participants will learn about the IEP/504 process and be able to create goals to ensure their children receive a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), which is guaranteed under federal law.
Oregon joins 31 other states that have enacted dyslexia-related legislation.
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