3 WAYS TO LISTEN

1. Click the icon on the right to listen to the full article.
2. Right-click here and “save as” or “save link as” to save an mp3 of the article to your computer.
3. Listen to sections of the article by pressing the play buttons that appear before a set of words in the article below (coming soon).

Born with Special Needs

Allen Lovelace

BEFORE YOU READ:
What do you think the author means by “special needs”?

My Parents Are Always Here for Me
I have special needs. I was born with autism a long time ago. My parents did all they could for me, their only son. They always loved me; they didn’t want anything bad to happen to me.

When the hard times happen, when I am in trouble, they are always there for me. When the boys at school were trying to get me, they took me out of that school. When I need something, they buy it for me.

My parents were there when I graduated from high school. They were there when I was sick. They were there when I got engaged. I called them on the cell phone and told them.

I Don’t Miss a Single Day of School
When I finished high school in 2001, I was 20 years old. My math and reading were at third and fourth grade levels. My spelling was at a seventh-grade level. I went to school every day. I didn’t miss a single day. Now, thanks to Literacy Chicago, my reading is at a sixth grade level. It keeps getting better. The more I put into school, the more I get from it. I have perfect attendance. I want to get the achievement award to make my family proud of me.

I Want to Share My Ideas
I like to write because I want to share my ideas. I can write a story like this. It is about me, my mother’s son, who is autistic. I love to be creative. I keep my notebook on the table, and I am always ready to write. I want to publish my writing. I want to make my family proud.

I Want a Job
I used to go to Ada S. McKinley Community Services. They help people like me find a job. I did piecework. I made Chia Pets. Piecework means you get paid for each piece you make. I earned a good paycheck. I had money in my pocket. I don’t go now because they don’t have piecework anymore.

I want a job. I want to call the grocery store. I want to get a job as a bagger. My aunt said I should not get a job. She said it would mess up my social security benefits.

AFTER YOU READ:
Write a letter to Allen. Share any of your own experiences that relate to his. Mention details from this essay in your letter.

Allen Lovelace is a writer living in Chicago. He is a student at Literacy Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. He has not missed a day in the two years he’s been attending the school. He graduated from South Central Community Service High School in Chicago in 2001.

Back to Issue 65

3 WAYS TO LISTEN

1. Click the icon on the right to listen to the full article.
2. Right-click here and “save as” or “save link as” to save an mp3 of the article to your computer.
3. Listen to sections of the article by pressing the play buttons that appear before a set of words in the article below (coming soon).

Learning My Own Way

Adonay Kubrom

BEFORE YOU READ:
1. In what ways do you like to learn? How would you describe your learning style?
2. What do you know about autism? Read the boxes on pp. 12-13. Think about the word spectrum. What does it mean? What does it mean to have a condition on a spectrum?

My Disability Is Autism
Autism is an intellectual disability. It takes me a long time to learn about everything old and new. I have difficulty navigating daily life. It is difficult to make friends with average people because of my lack of communication. It is also difficult to pass the driving test because of my limited English. I don’t have my freedom. I am dependent on my family to drive me around.

With all of these challenges, I am able to have a normal life by memorizing anything I need to learn until it is finally in my head. It is very difficult to listen to verbal instruction. It helps if I make recordings of the instructions. Then I can listen again on my own time. It also helps if I have a hands-on or visual opportunity to learn. For example, I can learn better by watching videos on YouTube.

My school is very supportive. I am in the College to Career (C2C) Program, a three-year program designed to help people like me get a college education and find employment. The program is funded by the Department of Rehabilitation, a California state agency that helps people with disabilities find employment, independence, and equality. This program is threatened by the Trump Administration, because he is trying to eliminate programs that aim to be inclusive of all people.1

My Most Perfect Plan in School
Mary Schexnaydre, a C2C coach, says, “I have seen magical things happen in this program. In the three years that students are with us, I watch them transform from timid novices to confident professionals who have a strong sense of self. C2C helps students answer the questions: who am I, what I am good at, and what do I care about.”2

Before I was admitted to the C2C Program,
I was going to the Petaluma Transition Program (PTP). PTP is a community-like program provided by Petaluma City Schools for students ages 18-22 who have disabilities and have finished their high school program with a Certificate of Completion. This program prepared me to get into the C2C Program. The first time I applied to C2C, I didn’t get in. However, with the help of PTP staff, I was able to get in the second time. I really appreciate all the support I receive from them.

In my C2C classes, I am learning how to write a resume, pick out the jobs that I want, and figure out my personal values and what kind of work environment I want. I have only a year and half left before I graduate.

I want to get a job at a library or comic book store due to the fact that I always enjoy reading novels and comic books. My work experience includes working at Casa Grande High School’s library as an assistant and working at CVS as a restocking clerk. At the library, I cleaned and organized tables, chairs, and books. At CVS, I organized items on the shelves, checked the expiration dates on food and drinks, and took out the trash.

Everyone Deserves an Opportunity
I have noticed that my learning difference or disability has opened up something new for me. I value and appreciate everyone who understands my condition and tries to be helpful. I like to be in class with others who have learning disabilities or differences. We are all in the same boat. Although our disabilities are different, we all have the same goal to succeed. Everyone deserves the same opportunity I have. With all the limitations of having autism, I am striving successfully.

Sources:
1. https://time.com/7210039/what-is-dei-trump-executive-order- companies-diversity-efforts/
2. https://news.santarosa.edu/srjc-college-career-program-ranked-most-successful-california

AFTER YOU READ:
1. What strategies does Adonay use to navigate his challenges?
2. How is his school supportive? Be specific.
3. What state agency funds Adonay’s program? What do you think should be the role of state and federal agencies in supporting this type of programming?

Adonay Kubrom is a student in the C2C Program at Santa Rosa Junior College in Petaluma, California. He is known for his hard work and his eagerness to apply his skills in the workplace. Outside of work, he enjoys doing physical activities, writing explanations, reading books, watching movies, and playing video games. He is particularly interested in performing science experiments.

Back to Issue 65

3 WAYS TO LISTEN

1. Click the icon on the right to listen to the full article.
2. Right-click here and “save as” or “save link as” to save an mp3 of the article to your computer.
3. Listen to sections of the article by pressing the play buttons that appear before a set of words in the article below (coming soon).

My Learning Disability in Five Vignettes

Alan Rambeau

BEFORE YOU READ:
1. Read about vignette in the caption below the picture on the right. Share a vignette from your school days that evokes a strong feeling.
2. IEP stands for Individualized Education Program; ADHD stands for Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder. To learn more about IEP and ADHD, read the boxes on pp. 10-11. JROTC stands for Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps.
3. Read about dyslexia in the box on p. 7.
4. Do you know anyone with ADHD and/or dyslexia? What are their gifts and challenges?

Pizza
Mr. Griffin was a great guy. He was my tutor in the fourth grade. That’s when they first figured out that I needed an IEP. He bought me Domino’s pizza every day. He helped me with my math. They did tests on me, and they figured out that I had ADHD. But they kept missing my dyslexia.

Music
As a kid, I learned that listening to music on my headphones helped me focus. But the teachers never let me use the headphones. They thought it was distracting because my head was bobbing up and down to the music.

Naps
My algebra teacher noticed that I always fell asleep in his class. I told them the reason why: I was in JROTC, and it drained my battery. So, he and I came to an agreement. If I got my work done, he would allow me to put my head down on my desk and go to sleep. There’s a twist though. I never really understood algebra. But I still passed the class.

Abbreviations
In English class, I was bad at spelling, so I used abbreviations of words. I trained the computers and my phone to understand my abbreviations. They could auto-correct them to fix the spelling. In this way, people could read my writing better.

Seeing and Doing
I learn in a different way than other students who have no disability with their brain. Visual and hands-on learning are better for me. I don’t understand verbal directions. I have to be doing it at the same time I am hearing about it.

Thank you for reading this. I hope it will help you if you have similar disabilities.

AFTER YOU READ:
1. What do these vignettes tell you about the author’s experience with his learning disability?
2. What accomodations has Alan developed for himself? What accommodations does his teacher offer him?
3. Alan uses metaphor when he says his participation in JROTC drained his battery. What does it mean? Try using it in your own sentence. (Read more about simile and metaphor on p. 9.)

Alan Rambeau is a student at Ellsworth Adult and Community Education in Ellsworth, Maine. He is working on his high school equivalency.

Back to Issue 65

3 WAYS TO LISTEN

1. Click the icon on the right to listen to the full article.
2. Right-click here and “save as” or “save link as” to save an mp3 of the article to your computer.
3. Listen to sections of the article by pressing the play buttons that appear before a set of words in the article below (coming soon).

They Called Me a Slow Learner

Tony F. Jones

BEFORE YOU READ:
1. Read the title, subtitle, and headings in the article. What do you think the “arc” of this story will be?
2. Have you ever seen a young person get bullied? Or have you been bullied or been the bully yourself? What happened? What made it possible for the bullying to continue?

In School, I Felt Ashamed
When I was a young person in school, the teachers called me a slow learner. The kids called me other names, like dummy, stupid, and dumb as a box of rocks. When the teacher asked me to come to the blackboard to solve problems, I was ashamed and embarrassed. I felt like a failure. I kept to myself. I was placed in special education classes. I felt more comfortable there.

Now, I Feel I Belong
Now, I am in a class in prison. My teacher supports me. The other men are like me. They have learning disabilities. We learn not to judge, criticize, or make fun of people with learning disabilities. Our teacher asks us to listen to each other. We work together to reach our goals. This is my first time feeling like I belong in a classroom. I love it!

In this class, I do not have to lie, fake, or pretend to be something I am not. I do not feel ashamed. Why? Because to the left and to the right of me, there are teaching assistants who help me. They do not act like there is anything wrong with me. It is okay to be who I am. It is okay to need help.

My brothers in the class help me with depression and anxiety. They encourage me to face my challenges. They share their challenges with me. There is strength in unity. When I am in my class, it is like being with family and friends on the 4th of July. It’s like being given a present on my birthday.

I am with Good Teachers and Supportive Classmates
People with learning disabilities need a way to reach their goals. For me, it helps to be in a room with good teachers and other people who are like me. It helps to feel unity instead of shame.

AFTER YOU READ:
Now that you have read the article, say again what the “arc” of the story is. What details does the author share to show how he feels?
2. The author uses two similes to describe what it is like being in class with his brothers who encourage him. What are the two similes? Try using a simile to describe how class feels to you.
3. Learn more about similies and metaphors in the box below.
4. Read the stories on
pp. 4-5 and 6-7. What do these stories have in common with this one? And how are they different?

Tony F. Jones has frequently written for The Change Agent. He is in prison in Jackson, Georgia. He is working towards his GED.

Back to Issue 65

3 WAYS TO LISTEN

1. Click the icon on the right to listen to the full article.
2. Right-click here and “save as” or “save link as” to save an mp3 of the article to your computer.
3. Listen to sections of the article by pressing the play buttons that appear before a set of words in the article below (coming soon).

Education Is the Greatest Thing

Rachester Motley

A Hard Beginning
My mom was born down South. She had to work in the fields and pick cotton day and night. Going to school was not a priority. My mom did not have access to education.

Mom moved our family to Detroit for a better life. I was one of eighteen kids. I was the baby. By the time my mom got to me, she was worn out. Mom had tuberculosis (TB), and she was hospitalized for a long time. It was extremely hard for me to get an education because of Mom’s health. My brothers and sisters were grown up. I did not get the support that I needed.

I Did Not Know I Had Dyslexia
I did not graduate from high school. At the time, I did not know that I had dyslexia. I never knew why it was so hard for me to focus on things in school, or why reading was such a challenge. Back then, people like me did not have the support that they needed to learn. I got so discouraged that I left school as soon as I was old enough. I started working.

Pushing My Son to Get an Education
I did not want my son to suffer like me. I pushed him to get an education. Every day, I got him up for school. I told my son that he would graduate. Today he has a college degree. My son has also gone back to school to get more degrees for his career. My grandchildren are all educated.

Pushing Myself to Go Back to School
Three or four years ago, I found Oakland Literacy Council and started taking classes. I wanted to get an education because I wanted to be more independent. I wanted to be able to understand and read my mail. I have a wonderful tutor at Oakland Literary Council named Jill. For the first time, I had the chance to learn with someone one- on-one. Jill realized I had dyslexia. She researched ways to help me.

Jill and I started by breaking words down into small parts and sounding out each part. I never knew how to do that. Now I can understand my mail. I can read a lot better. I can even read words I have never seen before.

Reading Is Amazing!
When I’m walking my dogs, I’m amazed by all the words on the street signs and posters that I can read now. It’s exciting to understand the words I see. Sometimes I struggle, but I like the challenge.

My tutor understands me. Sometimes I say, “Jill, did you know what you were getting into when you took me on?”

Jill smiles and says, “I know what I’m doing.”

I Have Come a Long Way, and You Can Too
Jill is proud of me. She sees progress in me. I have come a very long way. I always valued education, but I value education even more now. Having your education gives you power. My father always said, “Understanding is the greatest thing in the world.” I believe education is the greatest thing in the world.

To other people with dyslexia, I would say this: Learning with dyslexia is a lot of hard work. But there are people out there who are willing to teach you. You will be amazed at all the things you can learn. With the right support, it can happen! It makes you feel really great about yourself.

AFTER YOU READ:
1. Tell Rachester’s story in your own words—first very briefly (in just a few sentences), and then again with more details.
2. Read the story by Tammy Roya on pp. 4-5. How are their stories similar? How are they different? Be specific.
3. Read and discuss the definitions in the box on the right. The second definition mentions “strong thinking skills.” Point to examples of Rachester’s strong thinking
skills in the text.

Rachester Motley (pictured here with her tutor) has been a student at Oakland Literacy Council in Pontiac, Michigan, since 2020. She loves her studies and is hungry for more knowledge. Rachester is living proof that even with dyslexia, you can learn and be successful.

Back to Issue 65