education

Assistive Technology blogger Brian

I'm dyslexic and a senior in high school. I've used assistive technology for many years to help me read and write. In third grade I started use the Alpha Smart computer to help me with writing. As I got older I started using Kurzweil 3000, Bookshare, and Learning Ally to help me with reading. In middle and high school the technology became increasingly important and allowed me to participate in interesting classes. Now in school I read all of my books with Bookshare and I use Kurzweil to read handouts. I'm definitely an ear reader.

A few years ago I started an assistive technology blog: bdmtech.blogspot.com. I write about a variety of technologies, but focus on technology that is useful for dyslexics. My first blog posts was about the Intel Reader.* I was very excited about winning it in a contest and it got me started on blogging. I thought it was really cool. I got it just before final exams and I used it to study. The Intel Reader was so helpful because some of the hand-outs and study material I had were only in hard copy. I decided that I wanted to let other people know about it, so that people who couldn't read would know there were solutions. Because technology is so helpful to me and so few people seemed to know what is available I wanted to share all the things that I found to help spread the word. —Brian Meersma

Brian got in touch with us a few weeks ago and we wanted to share his story here as a young dyslexic who has found the right technoglogies to empower him in school and in life. Brian lives in New Jersey and has been a passionate advocate for using assistive technologies and empowering dyslexics and the LD community. You can subscribe to Brians' blog here and follow him on Twitter here: twitter.com/bdmtech.
*Many people have written to us about purchasing an Intel Reader and we want to make sure the right information gets out there. There are few retailers currently selling the Intel Reader at present and it appears that it is reaching the end of its 4 year run on the market. Please visit our Workplace Accommodations page and look at "Expanding your tech toolkit" and our Classroom Accommodations page ("Taking Notes the Easy Way") for alternatives.

special ed law & dyslexia webinar

How do you know which way is up?

How can you work with your school to get help for your struggling child?

IEP, 504, SLD, SST, Push In, Pull Out — what does it all mean?

In this information-packed free webinar, Kelli Sandman-Hurley and Tracy Block-Zaretsky of The Dyslexia Training Institute, shared a detailed tutorial on how to navigate through the school system when your student has dyslexia. Visit Learning Ally to download the documents that are referenced in the webinar and to participate in the discussion.

Ben Foss's last presentation at Eagle Hill Southport in June 2013.

Come and listen to Headstrong Nation founder Ben Foss as he addresses the dyslexic community and its supporters next week at Eagle-Hill Southport in Fairfield, CT. Presented by the Eagle-Hill School and Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, Ben will be speaking about his recent book as well as how to take advantage of Headstrong Nation. This event is FREE and open to the public.

Date: Thursday, September 19th

Time: 7-9pm

Where: Eagle Hill - Southport School

REGISTER HERE!

If you know someone in the tri-state area that would benefit, please share!

The hardest part about dyslexia is the loneliness. The same is true if you’re the parent of a dyslexic child. Feeling cut off from your friends, your school or, worse, your child, is tremendously painful.

People tend to focus on the functional challenges: spelling tests, chapter books, standardized tests. But it’s the secret fears about how dyslexia will play out that hold us back the most.

Read the rest of Headstrong Nation founder Ben Foss's most recent post for the NCLD: Dyslexia Insight #4: Seven Secret Fears About Your Dyslexic Child.

"A big part of being successful when you’re dyslexic is being able to engage people who don’t know much about dyslexia in a conversation. I like starting with some stats: “Dyslexics are 10 percent of people, 35 percent of entrepreneurs and 41 percent of prisoners.”

Read the rest of Headstrong Nation founder, Ben Foss's post for NCLD: Dyslexia Insight #2: The Best Way to Start a Conversation about Dyslexia

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