Eagle Scout Inspired by Max Brooks' Speech at Dyslexia Conference

"Everybody has a part to play. Everybody can do something."

~ Max Brooks, author World War Z

Those are the words that sparked a movement - a movement that lead a North Carolina Boy Scout to "do something." Logan attended last year's Spotlight on Dyslexia online conference, sponsored by Learning Ally. He intently listened to Max Brooks, bestselling author of World War Z, discuss his own dyslexia and ways we can all help. Brooks was the keynote speaker at the conference. Logan decided to give back to others and leverage lessons from his personal struggles and triumphs with dyslexia to coordinate a Dyslexia Awareness Workshop as his Eagle Scout project.

"The workshop, which took place in October, included a mix of clinical and educational professionals, as well as successful career adults to discuss what it is like to live with dyslexia; explore common misperceptions, stories and personal experiences; and share tools/resources to help dyslexic students adapt and thrive," says Logan.

His main goal is to communicate to the 1 in 5 people who are dyslexic that they are not alone and help is available.  Logan feels there are some simple steps that can be integrated into our educational systems, both in terms of educator awareness/training and tools that can transform the life and experiences for dyslexic students. Logan has used a combination of approaches to best work with his dyslexia for success. Some of the most successful have been Orton-Gillingham-based reading tutoring, listening to audiobooks from Learning Ally and other resources, and using dictation software to capture his ideas and adapt from the conventional writing processes that are a struggle for many dyslexics. Logan has one big key message to other kids who have dyslexia -

“You have to own it and will live with it your whole life. Dyslexia is not something bad…it is also a huge advantage. Dyslexics are forced to think outside the box in ways that most people do not. You compensate with creativity. Once you own it, it is a lot easier to learn how to adapt and make it a positive.”

What an amazing young man! We can't wait to see where you will go in the future, Logan! Watch Max Brooks' inspirational 2015 keynote speech below, and register for the 2016 Spotlight on Dyslexia online Conference at LearningAlly.org/DyslexiaConference. We'll have 23 sessions, including keynote Dean Bragonier of NoticeAbility and educational keynote Dr. Louisa Moats who will talk about "why spelling still counts." Register today!