Assembly Resolution No. 494

BY: M. of A. Simon

MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
May 14, 2025, as Dyslexia Advocacy Day in the State
of New York

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that the State of
New York is committed to equal educational opportunities by identifying
obstacles to educational advancement and helping to remove those
obstacles; and

WHEREAS, Dyslexia, which often runs in families, is a language-based
learning disability that is neurobiological in origin and interferes
with language processing, accurate and/or fluent word recognition,
spelling and decoding abilities and reading comprehension despite
average or above average intelligence; and

WHEREAS, Dyslexia varies in severity ranging from mild to profound
and is characterized by a combination of difficulties with phonological
and orthographic processing leading to difficulties in reading, writing,
spelling, handwriting and/or math which can create a wide gap between an
individual's intellectual ability and their academic and/or personal
achievement; and

WHEREAS, Dyslexia is identifiable as early as four to six years of
age and early intervention is extremely beneficial as the negative
consequences are highly preventable through effective, direct
instruction in the five pillars of reading identified in 2000 by the
National Reading Panel of the National Academy of Sciences, namely
phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension; and

WHEREAS, Dyslexia can affect anyone, regardless of race, gender,
culture or socioeconomic status and impacts up to 20% of the population;
and

WHEREAS, Imparting to our children literacy skills built on the five
pillars of reading can ensure that the benefits of good literacy
instruction will accrue to improved educational and life outcomes for
all New York's children and forms the foundation of the New York State
Path Forward: Action Plan for Literacy; and

WHEREAS, Literacy skills for everyone is an important goal for the
State of New York and because dyslexia affects a high percentage of our
struggling readers, it is important that we recognize and address this
issue head on so that each person in New York has the opportunity to be
able to learn, read and spell proficiently and reach their full
potential; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 14, 2025, as Dyslexia
Advocacy Day in the State of New York; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York.