Politicians, Advocates Gather for Dyslexia Symposium

Although 20% of students are estimated to have dyslexia, it is only diagnosed in less than 4%. This chasm can swallow lives. Students with dyslexia are twice as likely to drop out of school, and an estimated 70% of juvenile delinquents have this learning difference. Approximately 80% of adults in the prison system are estimated to be functionally illiterate.

On Tuesday, a panel of New York politicians, non-profit leaders, and advocates came together at Columbia University to discuss solutions for the problem of reading disability in American and across the world.

New York City mayor Eric AdamsNew York City mayor Eric Adams was the symposium’s lead speaker, and he touted his administration’s efforts, announced this spring, to catch and treat dyslexia while children are still young. Now, nearly all students will be screened for dyslexia, teachers will receive training, and 80 elementary and 80 middle schools will receive additional support to help dyslexic students. Adams described this as “the most comprehensive approach to identifying not only dyslexia, but other learning disabilities.”

But the mayor also said that it was important to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

“The goal is to start,” he said. “This is just the iPod. We’re going to get to the iPhone.”

Adams, whose own dyslexia was not diagnosed until after he left the New York City public school system, emphasized that his attendance meant that the issue was personal for him.

“I wanted to come in and show my visible support instead of just sending a staffer,” he said. “This is paramount for our administration.”