Fahy, Carroll Legislation Establishing a New York State Center for Dyslexia and Dysgraphia in the State Department of Education Passes State Legislature

ALBANY, N.Y. –– Senator Patricia Fahy (D—Albany) and Assemblymember Robert Carroll (D—Brooklyn) announced that their legislation (A.2687/S.5569) establishing a New York State Center for Dyslexia and Dysgraphia in the State Education Department passed the New York State Legislature this week. 

The Center’s mandate will include data collection and analysis, setting standards for the screening of students in grades kindergarten through five and for interventions, setting standards for professional development for educators and other school personnel regarding screening and interventions, creating a guidebook for educators, and public information dissemination.  

Studies indicate that as many as one in five children may have dyslexia or another phonemic awareness issue, but to date there is still no consistent approach in New York State to addressing their needs. As well as hampering students’ educational achievement, untreated dyslexia and other learning disorders increase the risk of anxiety, depression, suicide, drug use, and incarceration; this leads to increased healthcare costs as well as substantial costs to society. Educational research has unequivocally demonstrated that early identification of dyslexia, coupled with intervention and multisensory sequential phonics instruction drastically improves educational outcomes limiting the harm caused by dyslexia.  

“Roughly 1 in 5 children in New York State struggle with dyslexia, yet for far too long, New York has lacked a consistent, evidence-based approach to identifying and supporting these students,” said bill sponsor Senator Patricia Fahy (D—Albany). “We're not just creating a Center, we're giving educators, families, and students the tools they’ve needed to address this issue for years. Early screening, structured literacy instruction, and high-quality professional development are not luxuries, they are necessities for ensuring every New York kid and student can learn to read and write with confidence. Too many of these New York students have been misunderstood and misidentified. I want to thank Assemblymember Bobby Carroll for getting this done in the Assembly, and I’m proud that New York is now poised to become a national leader in supporting students with dyslexia and related learning differences.” 

“The passage of A.2687/S.5569 establishing a State Center for Dyslexia and Dysgraphia is a milestone moment for all those families who have children struggling with dyslexia and dysgraphia and all those who care about all our children becoming fluent readers and successful students. As someone who struggled with dyslexia as a child, I know firsthand how important early identification and intervention is to remediating dyslexia. Creating the Dyslexia Center will do just that and ensure that more of our children are as fortunate as I was,” said bill sponsor Assemblymember Robert Carroll (D—Brooklyn). “The Center is one of the fourteen recommendations in the final report of SED’s Task Force on Dyslexia and Dysgraphia issued last December. Enshrining the Center in law means best practices for addressing the needs of children with Dyslexia and related disorders will be maintained over time. I want to thank Senator Fahy for sponsoring this bill in the Senate and ensuring its passage there.  I also want to thank all the advocates, educators, and families throughout the State who helped to get this bill passed.”

“Based on my experience as a teacher, principal, and superintendent of schools, I know that establishing a dedicated center for Dyslexia and Dysgraphia would provide invaluable resources and expertise for educators, students, and families,” said Dr. John Russell, Associate Director of the Haskins Global Literacy Hub at the Yale Child Study Center. “The development of clear and consistent standards is absolutely crucial to ensure that children with these learning differences are identified early, receive appropriate and effective interventions, and are supported throughout their educational journey. This bill represents a significant and necessary step towards ensuring that children with Dyslexia and Dysgraphia receive the support they need to thrive academically and reach their full potential.”

“Dyslexia is the most common learning disability but also the easiest to remediate if students and teachers have access to the right resources. This Center will make sure they have such access, and the result will be that we will have more space in our Special Education system for children with other challenges,” said Debbie Meyer, the Iona University Department of Education.

“My child’s story mirrors so many others in New York, not identified early in the public school system. While our child was drowning, we were desperately fighting for help from a system that did not understand dyslexia in the least,” said Sarah Kiefer, Skaneateles Parent Education. “Most importantly, this bill will create immediate change for these kids, not in a few months or years. They don’t have a second to waste to access proper screening and intervention. We cannot thank Assemblyman Carroll enough for his tireless work.” 

“Few things are more important than early intervention when it comes to screening for Dyslexia and Dysgraphia. Utilizing appropriate supports and being able to offer necessary services are critical. This bill will go a long way to insure this happens,” said Head of The Gateway School, Laurie Gruhn.

“Establishing a Center for Dyslexia and Dysgraphia within the State Education Department is a monumental step forward for literacy in New York,” said Marion Waldman, Executive Director of Teach My Kid to Read. “We applaud Assemblymember Carroll’s leadership and commitment to evidence-based solutions that prioritize early identification, teacher training, and equitable access to resources. This Center has the potential to transform outcomes for thousands of children who, with the right support, can become confident, skilled readers. At Teach My Kid to Read, we believe literacy is a fundamental right, and this legislation moves us closer to ensuring every child has the opportunity to read and succeed.”

"This is a major step forward for all striving readers and writers in NY. A State Center for Dyslexia and Dysgraphia will provide critical oversight for identifying and providing effective interventions for students diagnosed with Dyslexia and Dysgraphia and many others simply in need of support. In addition, the center will provide teachers with much needed professional learning on evidence-based practices to improve student literacy outcomes, and the center will also advocate for transparency of assessments that families are entitled to receive. Simply put, this will be a major shift in providing essential literacy support for students, families, and educators in NY," said Dr. Katharine Pace Miles, Director of Reading Science at Brooklyn College. 

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