MCC’s diverse community includes people with dyslexia, the focus of October as National Dyslexia Awareness Month. Dyslexia, a brain-based learning disability that impairs reading in a person of normal intelligence, can affect processing of sounds, spelling, or the speed of visual-verbal response.
While the exact causes are unknown, recent studies have identified a number of genes that may predispose development of dyslexia (https://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/dyslexia/dyslexia.htm). The Dyslexia Research Institute estimates that 10-15% of Americans have dyslexia but that only 5% of those are diagnosed and receiving help for the disorder (https://www.dyslexia-add.org/).
MCC’s Services for Students with Disabilities helps MCC students with dyslexia who need services or accommodations. The office’s website offers links to organizations for people with learning disabilities at https://www.monroecc.edu/depts/ssd/helplinks.htm.
Coping strategies can include seeking quiet areas for reading, using audiobooks or large-print books, relying on logic rather than rote memory, and breaking learning material into smaller units (https://www.ldaamerica.org/aboutld/parents/ld_basics/dyslexia.asp). The National Center for Learning Disabilities webpage offers some specific information related to college and work for adults with learning disabilities at https://www.ncld.org/college-aamp-work.
To learn more about what life with dyslexia can be like, watch the WXXI-TV 21 (cable 11) and WXXI-HD (cable 1011 and DT 21.1) broadcast of “Demystifying Dyslexia” on Sunday, October 16, at 7:00 PM. Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner, who has dyslexia, hosts this overview of personal stories, educational best practices, and the latest scientific research about dyslexia (https://interactive.wxxi.org/highlights/2011/09/demystifying-dyslexia-wxxi-tv).
This is part of a monthly series of articles from the Diversity Council about topics related to diversity and multiculturalism.
Debbie Mohr
ETS: Libraries (Diversity Council)
10/10/2011 |