It’s not just Hollywood that’s getting the word out. Richard Branson, an outspoken dyslexia advocate (and fabulously wealthy businessman, of course) suffered as a child because of the disability. But it’s now apparent just how widespread dyslexia is. Bonafide world-changers like Steve Jobs, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford, Mohammad Ali, and Steven Spielberg all had dyslexia in some form.
Branson often says dyslexic individuals are wired differently. It sounds brash, but he may be onto something. While 20% of people are thought to be dyslexic, an estimated 40% of the world’s self-made millionaires are dyslexic. Provided dyslexic students can overcome the challenges the disability brings, they just might be better suited than anyone else to change the planet for the better.
Since dyslexia doesn’t relate to an intelligence deficit (it’s simply an issue relating speech sounds to letters and words), identifying alternative ways to read content is a viable path—making it possible for students with dyslexia to digest the same content as everyone else in class. Technology tools are making it possible, and we’re in a better place with technology than we’ve ever been before. Tools like read aloud, text-to-speech, speech-to-text, and writing accommodations are now available and, best of all, useful. Dyslexia legislation is being introduced rapidly, and Acts like IDEA are closing the achievement gap and bringing accommodations to the students who need them, and by law, the team must consider assistive technology.
But it wasn’t always like this, and there is still plenty more to do.