In the News
In Case You Missed Them: Stand-Out Stories Published Last Week
In case you missed them, here are a few articles from the past week to consider reading:
Dyslexic entrepreneur’s app gets backing from Richard Branson
By Niamh Curran, The Sunday Times
This article’s lead is too good to ignore:
“Imagine pitching your business idea to a video doorbell in a hotel lift, only to discover a month later that Sir Richard Branson has watched it and is promoting your app to millions of people.”
The story of Hugh Johnston, the focus of this article, will resonate with parents of children who have Dyslexia. This piece hit close to home:
“Since leaving school, Johnston had struggled with his dyslexia, finding that his writing and spelling skills had stagnated. This inspired him to create an app that not only highlights errors, but also helps users learn from their mistakes and improve their writing.
“Although he tried existing programmes, such as Grammarly, Johnston felt that they served as a “crutch” rather than addressing the root of his challenges. Determined to bring his idea to life, he taught himself to code using ChatGPT and developed an early version of the app, which sent his mistakes to a spreadsheet. Realising the potential of . . . “ [Read the article for the full story. It’s a good one.]
A Lawsuit Threatens the Disability Protections I’ve Known My Whole Life
By Rebekah Taussig, Time
Taussig’s article on Texas v. Becerra is a stand-out among the many articles already published about the lawsuit.
She provides a history of Section 504, a view of our world before its implementation, profiles of the activists who fought for its implementation, and a reminder of the recurring role of money in debates related to Section 504.
One of the main arguments of those in support of Texas v. Becerra echoes one of the main arguments of those who opposed the implementation of Section 504 in the 1970s:
Too expensive. Impossible to implement. These people are asking for too much. If we meet these requests, we won’t be able to help others.
Same argument, different year.
Kids’ disability rights cases stalled as Trump began to overhaul Education Department
By Heather Hollingsworth, Collin Binkley, and Annie Ma, Associated Press
Special Education Action recently published the article “Office for Civil Rights Hits Record Low for Resolutions Released in January; Over 5,000 Disability Discrimination Complaints Remain Pending”
The AP digs into one reason behind the record low: Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has been cancelling mediations between parents and schools, where were meant to help resolve complaints. The fallout? Prolonged disputes and worsening impacts on students.
What the article doesn’t mention: Schools and parents can pursue mediation outside of OCR. If schools were truly committed to resolution, they could have proceeded anyway. Case in point: Fairfax County Public Schools—in my neck of the woods—refused to address parent concerns because of pending OCR mediation, and then went silent once OCR’s cancelations started occurring.