Happy Spring!

We’ve gathered a short list of links related to dyslexia for you. Check our Facebook page as well for frequent posts and don’t forget to “like” our page.

“It is easier to build strong children, than to repair broken men.” -Frederick Douglass

Minnesota dyslexia bill stalls to dismay of advocates (Pioneer Press)
Advocates for children with reading problems caused by dyslexia say they’re frustrated the issue isn’t getting attention from state lawmakers. GOP Sen. Roger Chamberlain of Lino Lakes figures there are up to 135,000 students in Minnesota public schools afflicted by dyslexia, in which the brain struggles to distinguish characters and sounds.

Group pushes for awareness of dyslexia (Radio Iowa)
A group of parents is trying to spread the word and push through legislation to bring more attention to dyslexia in Iowa schools. Katie Greving of Urbandale is a spokesperson for the group “Decoding Dyslexia” which formed in June of last year.

Teesside students urge experts to keep the term dyslexia (Gazette Live)
Teesside students today urged experts to forget moves to ditch the term dyslexia, saying it helped them overcome the condition. In recent weeks experts have called for the word to be abandoned, arguing it’s unscientific, lacks educational value and is used so widely that it has become meaningless. But teenagers at Middlesbrough College who live with dyslexia disagree.

Steve McQueen: My Hidden Shame (The Guardian)
His new film 12 Years A Slave is an unflinching look at human brutality. But director Steve McQueen’s childhood contains a painful secret he has never confronted. “I’ve never said this before, ever. But I was dyslexic. And I’ve hidden it, because I was so ashamed. I thought it meant I was stupid.”

High stakes testing needs to end.
Widespread resistance to the overuse and misuse of standardized testing is exploding across the nation. Testing Resistance & Reform Spring (TRRS) has come together to expand these efforts to win local, state and national policy changes: Less testing, more learning!

What Musicians Can Tell Us About Dyslexia and the Brain (Wired Magazine)
PLEASE be cautious when reading articles about dyslexia in mani-stream publications. They often misleading and perptuate misunderstandings. Here is the latest one people are asking us about.

15 Famous Thinkers Who Couldn’t Spell
Most of these impressive people have been identified as having dyslexia. Remember: Poor spelling is much more indicative of dyslexia than reading ability. Science tell us that if you can read–even at a superior level–it does NOT mean that you do not have dyslexia! Right, Einstein? Mr. Butts? How about it, Faulkner?

Famous Failures