State Rep. Woody Burton presented a resolution on the House floor today to raise awareness for dyslexia by recognizing the Scottish Rite Cathedral, which conducts the free-of-charge Children’s Dyslexia Center of Indianapolis and Decoding Dyslexia.
Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability that may affect an individual’s ability to read, write, spell and pronounce words. Dyslexia occurs in people of all backgrounds and is unrelated to intelligence—it does not inhibit a student’s ability to think critically or be creative.
State Rep. Woody Burton (R-Whiteland) on the House floor with Cheryl Clemens, Nanci Perri, Mary Binnion and Julie Bohannon.
“When I first met Cheryl Clemens and her son and learned of Indiana’s Decoding Dyslexia, a grassroots movement driven by Indiana families, I was impressed with the knowledge and research they had to share,” Burton said. “Dyslexia presents challenges to the typical learning process, but with the right resources and support, there is no limit to student success.”
Last session, Burton authored legislation that was signed into law that requires aspiring teachers to be instructed on how to recognize dyslexia and other reading disorders in their students. By identifying these disorders earlier, teachers are now better able to teach their students according to their individual needs.
“One in five people in the U.S. are dyslexic to some degree,” Burton said. “Since learning about dyslexia, I discovered that many famous and successful people have dealt with dyslexia, including Steve Jobs, Charles Schwab and Steven Spielberg.”
