Event Details

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VKC Special Lecture: Say Dyslexia – Say WHAT? Advocating for Students under the Dyslexia Law
February 25 (Tu)
12:00 p.m.

Held in Room 241 VKC/One Magnolia Circle Building, or available via webinar. Zoom connection info will be sent to registrants before the lecture.

Almost four years after the “Say Dyslexia” Law was passed, students with characteristics of dyslexia continue to be underserved and less likely to be identified. Just in time for spring IEP meetings, this presentation will tell current and future advocates—parents, advocates, teachers, and trainees—specifically what to say and what not to say when you think a child needs testing; when you are seeing reading problems and seeking accommodations through the IEP process; and when nothing is working for the best student outcome. Two experts will answer your questions and provide an overview of the law and appropriate tiered dyslexia-specific intervention through the Response to Intervention (RTI2) framework.

Presenters:

• Allison McAvoy, M.Ed., WDT, SLDS, is director of Curriculum and Instruction at Southeast Reading Center. She is Orton-Gillingham® trained and is a Wilson Credentialed Trainer® and Wilson Dyslexia Therapist®. She has most recently obtained certification with the Center for Effective Reading Instruction as a Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist®. Allison has over 30 years of experience in special education and worked 11 years as Lead Teacher for the Hamilton County Education Department. She is currently serving as Area 3 Director for the Tennessee branch of the International Dyslexia Association and as a member of the Tennessee Dyslexia Advisory Council.
• Carmen O’Connor, WDP, serves as president of the Tennessee Branch of the International Dyslexia Association. She has her degrees from Rollins College and is trained in Wilson, Orton Gillingham, and Lindamood-Bell. She has been a tutor and educational consultant for the last 27 years, currently serving White, Warren, and Putnam counties.

  Please feel free to bring your lunch to this noontime lecture. Presented by Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Reading Clinic and Tennessee Disability Pathfinder in collaboration with two experts from Tennessee Branch of the International Dyslexia Association and the Dyslexia Advisory Council.