Accommodations must be provided to ensure that the student’s ability, not his or her disability, is being assessed.

“Dyslexia robs a person of time; accommodations return it.” –Dr. Sally Shaywitz

Examples of accommodations for dyslexia include assistive technologies such as speech to text and text to speech, extra-time on tests in school and on high-stakes standardized tests, and partial waivers of foreign language requirements in high school and college.

Links:

A Dyslexic Student’s Perspective: Which Tablet Features Work Best for Dyslexics?

Technology: Livescribe Smartpen

Technology: Dragon Naturally Speaking

Technology: Converting Your Notes to Audio & Study Guides

Want to learn what extra time really gives a dyslexic student?
Take this first-hand look from a student.

“It’s important for the young kids to know that you can learn so much from books—even if you’re not necessarily reading from books, but getting them on tape. That’s the great thing about technology now—you can get whatever you need and you can go through books and expand your mind. It gets you thinking outside of the box.” – Joe Whitt, Jr., NFL coach

“Dyslexia robs a person of time. I’ve never been able to just read with my eyes and have those words in my brain. I have to almost mouth out the words to myself for me to hear them. I do it silently, but I’m still moving my lips constantly as I read. You can imagine that even having to do that slows somebody down.” -Tyler Lucas, M.D., Orthopedic Surgeon

“My grades dramatically improved. Of course, this wasn’t only the result of getting extra time. It was also a result of my going into office hours twice a week with my calculus professor or making sure I went to extra hours with my history TAs to talk about the exam.” – Allison Schwartz, Ph.D. student