October Observed as Dyslexia Awareness Month

Source: Dyslexia SB

The City and County of Santa Barbara, proclaimed October as Dyslexia Awareness Month, joining with other governmental and educational agencies across the nation. Since dyslexia affects 1 in 5, yet is widely misunderstood, these proclamations bring more focused attention to this most common learning difference—the primary reason for reading struggles—that is also a source of great strength and success when properly addressed and supported.

The County Board of Supervisors presented its proclamation on October 4 in honor of the decades of work done by Deidre and Barry Dubin of the Dubin Learning Center. Since the 1970s, the educators have dedicated their careers to teaching students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities how to read, write and spell—literally redirecting the lives of thousands of local children and families.

The City of Santa Barbara issued a proclamation on October 11 that recognized that “dyslexia affect many children and adults in Santa Barbara,” as well as the efforts of Dyslexia Santa Barbara, “committed to increasing public awareness of dyslexia and serving the Santa Barbara community by providing a wealth of information, resources, and support to individuals affected by dyslexia, as well as to local parents, educators and the public at large.”

And at the monthly Dyslexia Dialogue, at the Central Library on October 4, several educators—Santa Barbara Unified School District Superintendent Cary Matsuoka; Hope School District Special Education director Jestin St. Peter; Charter School Special Education teacher Linda Cowen; and the Coordinator of the Santa Barbara County Special Education Local Plan Area, Stacy Tolkin—joined community members for a discussion about how they will now address dyslexia in view of the new guidelines associated with legislation, issued by the California Department of Education.

All agreed that the new guidelines provide more guidance for educators to follow. They can be accessed here.