Dyslexia: The Long Path to Equal Rights
In studying the American childhood it is important to study
a full spectrum of the experiences children have as they grow and how it
affects them as a child and into adulthood. One of the important
experiences of ones childhood is the gaining of some form of education. Today’s
world is increasing reliant on communication which creates a reliance on
literacy. Unfortunately this important communication skill is not easily
learned for many children of normal intelligence within our schools
today. These children are known as dyslexic and the concepts of language
prove to be difficult for them and therefore can make the experience of
childhood difficult as they try to adjust to a world that over the past century
has become increasingly reliant on written communication.
Dyslexia
is a very complex disorder that is believed to affect 5 to 10 percent of our
population within the United
States
Furthermore, the history of legislation on behalf of the disabled is important to understand in order to see how dyslexia evolved from being coupled with all other disabilities to an issue with its own specific legislation. In addition to this, one must recognize the social ramifications for persons with dyslexia because this is what drives future legislation and change. It is easiest to understand the complex social issues by first having an understanding of past legislation because it sets the scene for society’s actions.
To begin, the end of World War II marked the start of a new age in American history and new possibilities for disabled individuals. The first of these changes for the disabled occurred when many of the men from our armed forces returned from the war with physical disabilities that were suffered abroad. This posed a problem of employment for many of the returning soldiers. To combat this President Harry Truman signed PL-176 in 1945 creating an annual National Employ the Handicapped week. A media campaign was launched by the Presidents Committee of Employment in 1947 using movie trailers, billboards, radio, and television ads to convince the public that it was “good business to hire the handicapped.”[1]
The second less obvious change was in how Americans began to look at
themselves, and how they acted toward minorities within the population,
including handicapped persons. During the War the Germans killed an estimated
250,000 handicapped.[2] This
was found to be appalling to citizens of the United States
The third change that sprung from the end of the war was the Parent’s Movement for disabled children. These parents saw new opportunities with the economic prosperity brought on by the end of the war and began to organize to demand more services for their children. Some examples of parent groups formed during this time are the Association for the Help of Retarded Children (AHRC), United Cerebral Palsy (UCP), and the Association for Retarded Children (ARC). These and other parental groups formed the base that would become the Disabled Rights Movement that would fuel later legislation in the 1970’s. These movements began the shift in thinking from the institutionalization of those with disabilities to rehabilitation.(Zames, 11) These early parent groups although formidable were weakened by a lack of cohesion and defined overriding goals for all disabled individuals, they instead concentrated on single disabilities. Even with this being said it is important to recognize that “activists learned more than anyone had known before about the ability and potential of people with disabilities when they are treated as full human beings.”[4]
The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s marked
great changes in how many minority groups were treated in the United States
President Kennedy and Family were also able to bring further attention to mental disability through his sister Rosemary who had a mental disability and was institutionalized when she was in her twenties. The Kennedy’s did not speak of Rosemary until 1962 in an article by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in the Saturday Evening Post. It was a heart felt article reminiscent of literature produced by the parent organizations earlier discussed. The article was read by millions and was able to further convince families that there was no shame in having a disabled individual within the family. According to many this may have been the most important legacy left by the Kennedy’s.[7]
While Kennedy was able to bring attention to people with disabilities
President Johnson was able to pursue his civil rights agenda and War on Poverty,
both of which indirectly assisted many people of disability. The Equal
Opportunity Act of 1964 created programs such as Head Start, Volunteers in
Service to America
Even with this time of great social change occurring in the American Civil Rights Movement we find very little legislation solely directed at the problem of our learning disabled population. All legislation for disabilities was coupled with another cause. Within the civil rights movement itself many groups that garnered more attention like the women’s and minority rights movement avoided close association with the disability rights movement.
The 1970’s marked a landmark decade in disability reform legislation in which many legislative measures were made for the improvement of opportunities for the disabled. The first of these landmark legislative measures was The Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This act states under Section 504 that “No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance or under any program or activity conducted by any Executive agency or by the United States.”[10] According to Richard Scotch these “regulations required state and local governments, schools and universities, health facilities, and many other entities to make their programs accessible to people with physical or mental disabilities.”[11] This act helped to promote the empowerment of individuals with disabilities through employment, economic self-sufficiency, independence and inclusion while ensuring the federal government plays a role in providing a strong requirement for the elimination of discrimination against the disabled.
The Education of All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (IDEA) was a major
move in the improvement of education for the disabled learner. IDEA required free, appropriate public
education in the least restrictive setting. The principle of the law is
that children with disabilities should not be denied the same opportunities
offered to everyone else, everyone gets access to public education and
therefore children with disabilities should not be denied. Under this law
when a child meets disability requirements that require special education then
an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is created. This IEP is then
used to mark the student’s progress as they achieve their individual
goals. Under IDEA the school district becomes responsible for providing
the disabled individual with the necessary support and services needed depending
on the disability. These laws set the groundwork for future legislation in
regards to disability rights in the United States
Unfortunately in the 1980’s the
focus of the government moved away from Americans with disabilities but in 1990
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. The ADA ADA
As one can see the disability rights movement has progressed quite a bit since the early years of the parent run organizations of the late 1940's. They have become a powerful lobbying group that can push through legislation even at the most socially restrictive times. During the fifty years that marked this revolution in the rights of disabled individuals, legislation and court decisions that punished the discrimination against individuals with disabilities has shown great societal awareness. In addition to legislation, there were many studies that began researching the social component of disabled peoples, and dyslexia was one of the topics focused upon. It is essential for one to understand the social aspects of dyslexia because these facts are what drive lobbyists to demand for more direct legislation on this issue. Unfortunately, some students are still being overlooked, and better legislation could help to remedy this. To identify these problems one should examine the issues within gender and socioeconomic standing in receiving help for dyslexia and other learning disabilities.
The first
of these issues is the unbalanced ratio within the gender of those children
identified with dyslexia. There are more
boys diagnosed with dyslexia by a ratio of 3:1 and this seems to be weighted
unfairly. According to current research it appears that girls are under
diagnosed for a couple of reasons. First girls tend to mature in reading
and writing skills much faster than boys and this creates a focus on the slower
developing boys in a classroom setting. Secondly learning disability
referrals are in some ways inadvertently used to create order and harmony
within the classroom which once again creates a focus on the more disruptive
male students. It is unfortunate to see that girls are falling through
the system but it is more understandable when looking closer at the facts.
First, Herman
Epstein in 1975 performed a study in which girls were found to have greater propensity
to reading and writing, in comparison to boys, which could account for the
higher percentage of dyslexic boys to girls consistently found within the
education system of the United
States
Similarly
gender bias within the classroom can lead to the skewing of the ratio of boys to
girls that are found to have a learning disability or dyslexia. According
to "Gender Bias and Special Education" by K. Anderson the behavior of
boys within the classroom demand more of a teachers attention and therefore
more of there learning difficulties are observed. This is not all to be the fault of the
teachers, where overcrowded classrooms and mounting responsibilities are part
of our modern public school systems. While boys are shown to be more
aggressive with their frustration girls are found to be quite and meek.
As Anderson
Second, numerous studies exist of individuals who have overcome the difficulties in learning that are associated with dyslexia. The problem that is found with this is that the vast majority of the individuals that overcome the educational barriers that are associated with dyslexia come from social classes that can afford the early testing and resources that can help them reach success early while others are relegated to struggle and fall behind their peers. Many have argued that dyslexia is not a socioeconomic disorder. With this being said it must also be understood that although dyslexia within a child may not be socioeconomically determined the problems faced by many dyslexics are socioeconomic based. In examinations of the higher classes one will notice the very high levels of achievement throughout their scholastic endeavors and through adulthood. The middle class has a fighting chance for success despite there school systems stagnate response to the issues of dyslexia and learning disabilities. The position of those that fall in the lowest socioeconomic bracket is as you might expect, their struggles paint a much bleaker picture for success due to fluctuations in funding and attention to problems in curriculum and special education. All students should have a clear and bright future but a low socioeconomic status can muddy that outlook.
To start this subject out on a
happy note, dyslexic children of wealthy families get along just fine and are
found to have high levels of achievement in adulthood. In these
independent and upper class suburban schools we find the parents to be very
active and involved in the curriculum of there children. As J. Chall
points out in Learning to Read: The Great Debate the parents of these
children do not “ask for results they demand them.”[18]
Along with the parents demanding results from the school the parents also can
afford the tutors and supplies needed to help their child overcome their
educational block. These children are found to receive the early testing
that helps them adjust to school and methods of learning they will be taught in
at an early age. Many of these children go on to be successful, and this
can be illustrated by a study following the post graduate lives of children who
attended a Dyslexic School Baltimore
Next, middle income schools are not as proficient at recognizing and assisting in dyslexic learning. Unfortunately there are no special schools for the dyslexic middle class students. Instead there educational burdens fall on the parents and the overtaxed public school system. Throughout educational history we find that middle class schools experience limited funding for programs and testing for dyslexia. Therefore the responsibility to find tutors and educational resources for a dyslexic child falls directly on that child’s parent. Along with this we have a middle class outlook on the educational system that “if it isn't broke don't fix it.” As Chall states "the middle socioeconomic group seems to remain quite satisfied with the status quo."[20] This trend has been consistent and "until the schools in the middle of the distribution commit themselves to improving reading instruction, reform efforts will remain a fringe movement, local and temporary."[21]
Finally,
the students who are in the most dire need of help are the ones that are looked
over the most. These are the children
that make up our lowest social classes. Parents are found to not play strong
enough roles in deciding curriculum in urban schools which leaves innovation to
be triggered by public concern over achievement. Although
"innovation" in these schools does exist during periods of concern it
is short lived as funding for these schools does not remain consistent.[22]
Parents of low socioeconomic status are
less available to the needs of their child and may be ignorant to the
enrichment opportunities offered at the school. As one might figure the
lower the economic status of the individual, the lower the amount of consistent
help that is made available for dyslexia.
In
conclusion it must be recognized that the disabilities movement of the later
part of the 20th century has achieved great things for disabled
persons. It must also be noted that in
the area of dyslexia more progress is still needed. The legislation for disabilities began as
extremely broad, and hopefully the trend of narrowing focus will lead to
specific action on the issue of dyslexia. With specific legislation, public
schools will have the resources to identify and teach dyslexic students, and so
even poor children will be given the chance to reach their potential. Presently the effect of dyslexia on a child’s
life can be far-reaching and devastating, hopefully future legislation will
remedy this barrier.
Bibilography
Adams, Marilyn Jager. “The Great Debate Then and Now.” Annals of Dyslexia Vol. 47 (1997): 265-267.
“Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.” ed.
One Hundred First Congress of the United States of America
Anderson, Kristen G. “Gender Bias and Special Education.” Annals of Dyslexia Vol. 47(1997): 151-162.
Ansara, Alice. “Sex Differences in Dyslexia”. Towson , MD
Chall, Jeanne S. Learning to Read: The Great Debate. New York
Fleicher, Doris Zanes. The Disabilities Rights Movement: From Charity to Confrontation. Philadelphia Temple University
Finucci, Joan M. “A Follow-Up Study of Dyslexic Boys.” Annals of Dyslexia Vol. 35 (1986): 117-136.
Longmore, Paul. Disabilities History Timeline. The Rehabilitation and Training Center
Malhorta, Ravi
Parallels in Time: A History of Developmental Disabilities accessed http://www.mncdd.org/parallels/menu.html.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act accessed http://www.section508.gov/index.cgm?FuseAction=Content&ID=15.
Scotch, Richard K. “American Disability Policy in the Twentieth Century.” The New Disability History: American Perspectives (2001).
Snowling, Margaret J. Dyslexia. 2nd ed. Malden MA
Switzer, Jacqueline Vaughn. Disabled Rights : American Disability Policy and the Fight
for Equality. Washington D.C. Georgetown University
The Presidential Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities. “ Mission Washington D.C.
[1]
Malhorta, Ravi
[2] ibid
[3] ibid
[4]
Fleicher, Doris Zanes. The Disabilities
Rights Movement: From Charity to Confrontation. Philadelphia Temple University
[5] Parallels in Time:A History of Developmental Disabilities accessed http://www.mncdd.org/parallels/menu.html.
[6]
Longmore, Paul. Disabilities History
Timeline. The Rehabilitation and Training Center
[7] Parallels in Time: A History of Developmental Disabilities accessed http://www.mncdd.org/parallels/menu.html.
[8] Ibid
[9] The
Presidential Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. “ Mission Washington D.C.
[10] Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act accessed http://www.section508.gov/index.cgm?FuseAction=Content&ID=15.
[11] Scotch, Richard K. “American Disability Policy in the Twentieth Century.” The New Disability History: American Perspectives (2001): 382
[12] Switzer,
Jacqueline Vaughn. Disabled Rights : American Disability Policy
and the Fight for Equality. Washington D.C. Georgetown University
[13] “Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.” Ed. One
Hundred First Congress of the United
States of America
[14] Scotch, Richard K. “American Disability Policy in the Twentieth Century.” The New Disability History: American Perspectives (2001): 384.
[15] Snowling,
Margaret J. Dyslexia. 2nd
ed. Malden MA
[16] Anderson, Kristen G. “Gender Bias and Special Education.” Annals of Dyslexia Vol. 47(1997): 155.
[17] Ibid: 152-155
[18] Chall,
Jeanne S. Learning to Read: The Great
Debate. New York
[19] Finucci, Joan M. “A Follow-Up Study of Dyslexic Boys.” Annals of Dyslexia Vol. 35 (1986): 134.
[20] Chall,
Jeanne S. Learning to Read: The Great
Debate. New York
[21] Adams, Marilyn Jager. “The Great Debate Then and Now.” Annals of Dyslexia Vol. 47 (1997): 273.
[22] Ibid
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