ben foss

Photo of Us Capitol with text Taking it to the Hill DD-national Hill Day 2015

Photo Credit - David Acker, 2015

Decoding Dyslexia National representatives will be joining with other organizations for Hill Day, 2015, at the US Capitol, in Washington, DC, July 14-15. DD Representatives will be advocating for positive change for dyslexic children and their families. They will meet with legislators, and will tell their stories. Moms will speak, and dads will speak. Children will speak. They will discuss their individual stories of struggle. They will raise awareness on dyslexia and will self-advocate. They will discuss their strengths and the resiliency that they have developed as a result of their dyslexia. They will ask congressmen and senators to help all dyslexic children in schools through supporting dyslexia legislation regarding the early screening and evidence-based intervention that can help them thrive in the classroom. They will call for teacher training programs and professional development on how to screen and effectively instruct students with dyslexia. They will discuss the need for assistive technology and how it levels the playing field for children with dyslexia/LD, so that kids like themselves can keep pace with their peers and thrive as successful students. They will discuss the challenges that the dyslexic individual may experience beyond the K-12 years, into college, and as adult dyslexics in the workforce.

DD reps, their families, and others will come together as a united community, a movement, with a message for change.

Headstrong Nation supports the efforts of Decoding Dyslexia National and other organizations at this year's Hill Day 2015, and although we cannot be beside you physically as you advocate this year, we are behind you, and support your collective efforts as a force for positive change.

Wishing you all the best in "Taking it to The Hill". Let your voices be heard! - Headstrong Nation

Note: In Dec, 2013, Decoding Dyslexia Oregon hosted Headstrong Nation Founder Ben Foss, for a personal talk about dyslexia, his book, The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan, and the tremendous growth and power of the Decoding Dyslexia movement. If you are interested in viewing the entire talk, you can do so HERE. Below is an excerpt entitled: "A Message for Change" - Get Empowered!

Headstrong Nation Mission Statement:

Headstrong Nation is a movement dedicated to a radical new approach to dyslexia. We empower adult dyslexics to own their dyslexia, understand it, and to develop new ways of learning and working based on their individual profiles.

Please visit our Headstrong Nation Facebook Page, and like and share our content with your friends and family. Follow us on Twitter @Headstrongnatio. We are glad that you are part of our community!

Thank you! - The Headstrong Nation Team

Headstrong Founder Ben Foss recently spoke at a TEDx talk in Sonoma about shame and what we can do to put it down. Watch and learn how to end isolation, use your strengths, and help others.

Ben Foss

Sign up for Headstrong Founder Ben Foss's upcoming webinar on dyslexia empoweremnt. Learning Ally will be hosting the webinar free for all members. Ben will be covering much of the framework that he builds in his book: understanding the myths, identification, strenghts not shame, and building community.

If you are already a Learning Ally member, this is no-brainer! Not a member? Learn more here.

Learning Ally is a nationa non-profit that provides people with access to thousands of audio titles through their monthly membership. Originally conceived of as Recording for the Blind, Learning Ally serves a much broader audience today—hello ear-readers!

When I came back to get my results, the lab coat–wearing researcher looked very nervous. She couldn’t make eye contact with me and fidgeted in her seat. The more anxious she looked, the more nervous I got that this wasn’t going to go well. She finally looked up from her clipboard, and the following conversation ensued.

“Ben, I don’t know how to tell you this...but you’re really dyslexic.”

“Really? Excellent!” I meant it. I was greatly relieved.

Read the rest of Headstrong Nation founder Ben Foss's recent post for the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD): What Dyslexia Looks Like in My Brain.

Headstrong FAQs

GENERAL

I am looking for information about dyslexia.

The Headstrong Nation website has a lot of information about how to be an empowered dyslexic and how to advocate for yourself. However, if you are looking for in-depth information, research, and policy about dyslexia, please visit our good friends at NCLD / Understood

I would like to start a local support group.

Wonderful news. The more we can grow the community, the better. We are not at this time creating local Headstrong Nation chapters, but we believe in the power of individuals to make change in their community. Here are a couple of ideas for how to reach out and empower your local community.

  • If you are a parent of a dyslexic child, check out Decoding Dyslexia for a list of state chapters and for guidance on how to start a chapter in a new state. Decoding Dyslexia is a grassroots movement driven by families concerned with the limited access to educational interventions for dyslexia. They have great resources for how to connect and build community wherever you are, and have already set up local chapters in 35 states ( now 48 states and 3 Canadian provinces) (and growing).
  • Visit the Local Resources section of our website to find out about information that may be relevant to your group’s interests.
  • Look into whether there might be a Eye to Eye chapter near you. Eye to Eye provides mentoring for elementary school students by college students and see if you can get involved.

I want to know more about accommodations and working with my school.

Check out the For Parents section of our website and go through all the information presented in sub-sections (Learn the Facts, Classroom accommodations, Tools).

I want to help other dyslexics through mentorship, advocacy, educational programs, etc.

Wonderful. There are a number of organizations that are looking for people like yourself. Visit our Partners page for a list of organizations that work with dyslexic communities across the country.


HEADSTRONG NATION

I want to donate to Headstrong Nation.

Great to hear! Every donation we receive will allow us to scale our support of the dyslexic community. Visit Just Give or Razoo to make a tax-deductible donation.

I am interested in sharing resources or partnering with Headstrong Nation in some way.

Please message us privately through our Facebook page and we will do our best to respond.

BEN FOSS & THE DYSLEXIA EMPOWERMENT PLAN

I am reading The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan. Where do I find the Strengths & Attitudes Assessments?

Both of the Assessments are printed in the book. If you are ear-reading and bought the CD version of the book, the assessments and other supplemental materials are on the disc itself. You can also access them on our site. If you are a parent of a dyslexic, go here. If you are an adult dyslexic, go here.

Remember to register before you you take the assessment so you can save your or your child’s Star for future reference. If you are looking for other resources that are mentioned in the book, please visit the For Adults section or the For Parents section of the site and look at the Workplace or Classroom Accommodation sections, and the Tools sections.

I am interested in having Ben Foss speak at my school, company or at a community event.

Please contact the Random House Speakers Bureau (RHSB) or email Linda Barnes (lbarnes@randomhouse.com) at RHSB directly. She will be able to work with you on a budget and timeframe.

I have a press or media related inquiry for Ben Foss.

Please reach out to Steve Boriack (sboriack@randomhouse.com), who is on the Random House PR team.

How do I follow Ben Foss?

You can follow Ben on his Facebook page and through Twitter. Ben also manages his own site, where he will post information about the book, his readings and other events. Visit www.benfoss.com.

I want to buy the Intel Reader.

The Intel Reader is coming to the end of its 4 year life and is being discontinued. There are a few sites still selling it and, consequently, prices are pretty high. The best option at this point may be to find an alternative. Check out the Classroom Accommodations section of the site and look at "Taking Notes The Easy Way" for our recommendations.


[Image licensed under creative commons]

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