"Say Dyslexia" to The Next U.S. President? Writing Project Asks Teens to Share "What Is Important!"

The doors of advocacy on behalf of students with dyslexia just opened wider. "Say Dyslexia" supporters have a potential new audience in Washington, D.C. as the Obama Administration readies for a departure and a new president-elect and his or her administration gets set for an arrival.  

A national civics project hosted by The Writing Project and KQED, "Letters to the Next President 2.0," is back. The goal is to  engage young people ages 13–18 in research, writing, and sharing their opinions about issues that matter most to them. 

Election Day Deadline

Teens have a small window to have their say, as submissions are due by Election Day on Nov. 8. After that, the posts will remain online. The image that follows shows that students can post their opinions about education matters. Will teens write about training for teachers, accessible learning materials, and explicit reading instruction? Will all teens who benefit from accessible learning materials tell the new administration that books in alternative formats are important to them? Will Dyslexia Awareness Month in October be a time for raised voices? We'll watch the postings. 

Educators created Letters to the Next President 2.0 (L2P 2.0) that this year attracted several partners and a primary project sponsor. They are listed on the project website. The National Writing Project with support from Google launched the project in 2008.

The rules say that all youth with their teachers and mentors are invited to participate. Registration for L2P 2.0 is required. There is a social media component for followers @2nexprez, Facebook, and through a regular email bulletin. 

 Resources: Letters To The Next President

• View a video from the original project, "Letters to the Next President 2.0 Overview," posted on YouTube.
• Find the project rules on the welcome page along with participation guidelines:
• Sign-Up Instructions for teachers and mentors
• Sign-Up & letter instructions for members, writers
• Publishing Instructions for writers and teachers

We Are AIM-VA

Accessible educational materials (AEM) help to create access to the curriculum for students with dyslexia, learning disabilities, vision or physical challenges, and others. A federally funded AEM program in every state assures that books in alternative formats are provided free of charge to eligible students with disabilities whose education teams take action. The AEM program operates under a legal exception to federal copyright law. Check out the AIM-VA home page to learn more about eligibility in Virginia. In other states, contact a special education teacher, a school administrator or download a list of AEM state contacts..

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