Minnesota parents lobby for kids at ‘Dyslexia Day’ at State Capitol

Submitted by Judy Hanning on Wed, 2017-03-29 05:00
In 2014, parents and teachers came together to launch in St. Paul, Minnesota, to launch the first ever Dyslexia Day. The event showcased dyslexic children sharing their frustrations with the lack of assistance they received from their school. The event was so low key that they hold it in a small conference room.
Buoyed perhaps by the Minnesota Department of Education finally recognizing dyslexia two years ago, the scene was a lot different this month. Attended by hundreds of people, this year’s Dyslexia Day spread across Minnesota’s Capitol rotunda. This year they asked for schools to increase their efforts in identifying dyslexic children, reading instruction that fits their needs and teachers who were up to the task.
This year’s legislative agenda for Decoding Dyslexia Minnesota includes requiring schools to boost efforts to identify kids with dyslexia, provide reading instruction that meets their needs, and prepare teachers for the task.
~ Minneapolis Star Tribune

Key Takeaways:

1
Parents launched the first Minnesota Dyslexia Day three years ago, aimed at raising awareness of this common learning disorder.
2
Minnesota didn’t recognize dyslexia as a learning disorder until 2015.
3
This year’s rally for Dyslexia Day spread across the State Capitol and offered testimony from children with the disorder, as well as requests for schools to boost awareness and testing.
Read the full article here:
http://www.readingrockets.org/news/minnesota-parents-lobby-kids-dyslexia-day-state-capitol