Calleigh Higgins, NYLAG’s Equal Justice Works Fellow in the Special Education Unit, focuses her fellowship on ensuring that students with Dyslexia have access to evidence-based reading interventions. She serves students and their families with community education, legal representation, and advocacy for policies that increase access to literacy. Working with a number of students with Dyslexia who have been subjected to past NYC public school curricula failures, Calleigh advocates for the necessary supports and resources for these students as they reach their middle and high school years—which is a crucial period, as the majority of children with Dyslexia do not receive a diagnosis until 3rd grade or later.
Calleigh testified before the New York City Council’s Committees on Education and State and Federal Legislation to provide greater expertise into the needs of students with Dyslexia and their families while navigating New York City’s public schools:
“Dyslexia impacts approximately 20% of all children, and while it develops equally across all races and genders, access to meaningful reading interventions in New York City is not equal across demographics. For example, last school year, half of all New York City students were proficient readers, but for Black and Hispanic students, only 33% were achieving proficiency in reading. When Black and Hispanic students enter the special education system, they have less access to meaningful literacy interventions compared to their white peers. Providing evidence-based reading interventions in public schools is therefore not just a disability rights issue; it is also a racial justice issue.”
