Is Dyslexia a Disability?

Among dyslexia tutors and other educational professionals, there has been a discussion for some years regarding whether dyslexia should be a called a “disability”. Certainly, as dyslexia tutors and parents know, dyslexia effects an individual’s acquisition and use of written language. In this sense, it might make sense to label dyslexia as a disability. However, those who are opposed to this label state that it gives the wrong impression, because calling it a “disability” seems to indicate that a student with dyslexia is unable to function with written language. This is an inaccurate assumption, because with dyslexia tutoring and the proper approach, a dyslexic individual definitely can learn to read, write and spell. During my work in dyslexia tutoring, I have seen examples of this over and over again, and that is why Dyslexia Connect Online Tutoring exists. We have seen students with dyslexia succeed again and again using our dyslexia tutoring method, and so we know what is possible.

Regardless of what you choose to label dyslexia as, you can be confident of the approach that is needed to treat it. By enrolling your child in Dyslexia Connect Online Tutoring, you can give them the tools that they need to succeed.

Peter

Barbara Bliss had the following insight into this question:

“The term ‘learning disability’ tends to infer that a person cannot learn. With the proper instruction, dyslexics do learn. The degree of difficulty a dyslexic person has with reading, spelling, and/or speaking varies due to the type of teaching the person receives as well as the differences in the brain organization. The brain is normal, often very ‘intelligent’, but with strengths in areas other than the language area. Such brain differences appear to be inherited, probably from more than one ancestor. They are hidden, usually, until the person goes to school and attempts to learn by reading and communicate by writing.”