Bright Young Dyslexics Promoting Dyslexia Bill to Wisconsin Legislators

Bright Young Dyslexics Promoting Dyslexia Bill to Wisconsin Legislators

Gioia Cumicek, Staff Writer, Advanced Journalism

Bright Young Dyslexics is advocating for Wisconsin to pass its first dyslexia legislation.

Bright Young Dyslexics was founded by junior Caragan Olles and her brother Carter Olles in March 2013.

“Dyslexia is very treatable, a learning difference does not have to escalate into a disability. Every child deserves the right to read,” said Olles.

Assembly Bill 110 is scheduled to be heard on April 18. If this Bill is passed, it will allow for the creation of a dyslexia handbook.

Bright Young Dyslexics is asking for people to attend the hearing. For those wanting to participate but are unable to make the hearing, they are able to contact Representative Kulp by sending a letter supporting the Bill.

They are working with Decoding Dyslexia-Wisconsin to provide a helpful list of talking points for people to use in their testimony.

Olles advises that dyslexia is a widely misunderstood term even though it has been studied since the late 1800s.

There are no specific classes in undergraduate teacher training programs to educate new teachers about dyslexia. This Bill would allow for a source of help for new teachers who are not aware of how to work with students who have dyslexia.

Since Caragan and Carter founded Bright Young Dyslexics in 2013, they have taken their 501c3 nonprofit from a community-based nonprofit in Northeastern Wisconsin to a statewide nonprofit.

They are now working with students in North Carolina, Ohio, Minnesota, New York, Illinois, Florida, Massachusetts, Virginia and New Jersey. They would like to reach more states at a rate of 5-10 per year while increasing the amount of funding they are able to provide for Wisconsin. Their long term goal is to make it to all 50 states.  

Dyslexia affects approximately 30,000 children in Wisconsin, the largest subgroup of students served under the Specific Learning Disability category of IDEA.

Many are surprised by the fact that dyslexia is present at birth. Effective interventions create new pathways as well as the most effective ages to intervene.   

Olles recently won the Prudential Spirit of service award for the third time. This is one of the top 10 national awards given out. She was also awarded a trip to Washington DC.