October 21, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 166 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page H8285]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  RECOGNIZING DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH

  (Mr. WESTERMAN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring awareness to 
dyslexia, a learning disability that affects as many as one in five 
people.
  October is Dyslexia Awareness Month, which is why I will be 
introducing a resolution this week calling on Congress to formally 
recognize it.
  Those who have dyslexia struggle with language skills, making reading 
significantly more difficult.
  While this is a serious problem, it is a solvable one. If educators 
identify dyslexia early on and teach children proper techniques, 
students can use these tools to succeed. Reading is foundational to 
education, as we first learn to read and then read to learn.
  Dyslexia affects students equally regardless of intelligence, 
socioeconomic status, or gender. Many famous people, including Albert 
Einstein, Steve Jobs, and George Washington, had dyslexia. They were 
able to achieve incredible things despite their learning disabilities.
  However, 74 percent of children who are poor readers in third grade 
remain poor readers by the time they reach ninth grade. This is why, as 
co-chair of the bipartisan House Dyslexia Caucus, I am working to 
increase awareness. I encourage my colleagues to join the House 
Dyslexia Caucus so we can ensure children with dyslexia have every 
opportunity to succeed.

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