I'm officially starting on my journey to make a change in how education is accessed and received in early childhood, and Benetech is my first stop!
“The positive impact of Bookshare for students with disabilities cannot be overstated. It can be the difference between success and failure.” -Bookshare member
Why I love Benetech. 2023 was a wake up call to the injustices that occur in early childhood education as I navigated 1st grade for my dyslexic and ADHD 7-year old. Every day was groundhog day - tears, anger, growing adolescent anxiety and depression, which was all wrapped up in school-induced fears about truancy.
If 1 in 5 people are dyslexic and 30% of that group also has ADHD, how are these kids in K-2 surviving when their entire day revolves around reading and writing while sitting at their desk? How are parents with little to no income, insufficient time and lack of awareness and knowledge helping their child?
The difference between "success and failure" isn't good vs bad grades, it's incarceration, depression, addiction, mental health ER visits (trending as young as 5 years old) and suicide.
Since 1989, Benetech has been trying to tackle this problem. Through the largest ebook library and partnerships with schools, Jim Fruchterman‘s (founder) mission "to provide technology and services for people with learning differences so they can learn in ways that work for them and pursue their dreams" has made great strides. With continued tech advancement and reach, the future can look brighter.
After all, neurodiversity (aka learning differences) has been the driving force behind innovation and advancement of humanity.
Thank you for bringing me on to your board, Benetech!
Powerful messages worth hearing
- 48% of People in Jail are Dyslexic and They Cost Half a Trillion Dollars Per Year. https://lnkd.in/eK6y-U8w
- Let's unlock the value of 1.55 billion people. https://lnkd.in/ejRmZTwn
- See the world differently. https://lnkd.in/e8iY-Qj3
- Brian Grazer (producer of A Beautiful Mind) on growing up with dyslexia. https://lnkd.in/eAbFwQF6
- Emma Stone on learning disorders and mental health. "The mental health crisis in America is really a childrens' mental health crisis." https://lnkd.in/ekbuCpwH
#neurodiversity #dyslexicthinking #madebydyslexia #adhdkids #childmindinstitute #Yalecenterfordyslexiaandcreativity #educationequality
We are pleased to welcome Timothy Elder from TRE Legal; Barbara Pape from Digital Promise; Pallavi Gondipalli, Capital Formation & IR Specialist, and Rick Johnson from VitalSource Technologies to our Benetech Board of Directors. Be sure to check out our latest blog interview with Timothy Elder here: https://lnkd.in/eivrBjuW #socialimpact #educationequity #a11y
Commercial Team Enablement at Reorg
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