Reply to comment

My father is dyslexic. He was treated poorly by the nuns at his Catholic school because of a lack of communication and understanding of why he struggled to read and write while the other students in his class acquired these skills without difficulty. He was forced to reside outside of the dominant discourse. Eventually my father learned how to adapt to his environment and evolved to become part of the literate. I decided to share this story because the discussion about Black English vs. Standard English reminded me somewhat of my father’s story. Just as there are multiple forms of English (such as Black English) there are multiple ways of acquiring and using English (such as the way individuals with dyslexia do). I do not intend to equate being a minority to having a disability but rather state that it is disabling to not be a part of the dominant culture. In effect, our school environment was not built for individuals with learning disabilities just as it was not built for individuals who do not speak the dominant language. We said in class that the barriers around schools need to be more permeable and I think that this philosophy applies to individuals with learning disabilities or differences and is in fact extremely necessary.