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Local woman helps pass dyslexia bill

Contributed by: Joseph Kirchmer/YourHub.com on 5/30/2008

Sally Pistilli looked on with excitement May 27 as she watched several months of planning, lobbying and hard work finally come to fruition.

The Highlands Ranch resident, along with dozens of parents, teachers and children, were on hand to watch Gov. Bill Ritter sign HB 1223 into law at a bill signing ceremony held at Gateway High School in Aurora. Pistilli and others helped craft the bill, which is aimed at helping teachers learn how to identify and teach students with dyslexia.

The measure instructs the Colorado Department of Education to develop training in awareness, identification, evidenced-based progress monitoring and scientifically-based interventions to address the needs of students with literacy challenges, including dyslexia. Supporters say the bill is the first in the state's history that specifically targets the condition.

It's an issue that strikes close to home for Pistilli. Both her 12-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter were diagnosed with dyslexia.

"Everyone is very excited," Pistilli said. "It is a first step in a process. We know this isn't going to fix everything, but it's a positive first step forward."

Pistilli heads up the Douglas County Dyslexia Resource Group, which is largely made up of local parents with dyslexic children. Last fall, she helped a field of experts in the dyslexia and education fields craft HB 1223.

State Rep. Michael Merrifield, D-Manitou Springs, agreed to carry the bill.

"House Bill 1223 was a constituent-led bill, born out of the concerns brought to me by parents in my district about their children and others like them who are struggling to learn in our public schools, said Merrifield. "We used a collaborative process to develop this bill. The measure was crafted through several meetings among parents, dyslexia experts, special education directors, university professors and representatives from the Colorado Education Association, the Colorado Department of Education, the Colorado PTA, and the Colorado Children's Campaign. I want to thank them for working together to find common ground to help students with dyslexia."

State Sen. Suzanne Williams, D-Aurora, carried the bill through the Senate.

"The timing is right to work on the challenge of dyslexia within public schools," Williams said. "Response to Intervention or RtI, the new, data-driven, three-tiered framework to help students who are struggling with basic skills, provides an opportunity to identify students with dyslexia early and deliver help effectively."

For more information about dyslexia, contact the International Dyslexia Association - Rocky Mountain Branch at www.dyslexia-rmbida.org.


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