A Force for dyslexia

Jaimee Szymanski, New Cumberland

Speech-language pathologist and owner of Dynamic Dyslexia and Speech

PROVIDING WHAT IS NEEDED

“I am from New Manchester, which is a pretty small town. In 2008, my younger sister was diagnosed with dyslexia, and my family immediately realized how few services there were to help her in West Virginia—and no place where others could go to get a diagnosis. I wanted to bring those services here, and in November of 2019, I did.”

FIGHTING STEREOTYPES

“Dyslexia affects 20 percent of the population, which is 1 in 5 people. It’s not a rare thing. It seems that way, however, because we don’t talk about it. People think if you have dyslexia, that you are less intelligent, or you’re difficult. That can’t be further from the case! People with dyslexia tend to be smart and creative, because they have to come up with ways to overcome day-to-day struggles. The kids I work with, they blow my mind constantly.”

GIVING HOPE

“I watched many classmates and close friends really struggle with dyslexia and with not having the means to afford help. My family was fortunate, but not everyone was. So I work with a lot of people at the state level to get different policies enacted. The Hope Scholarship is one of our newest, assisting families in paying for diagnosis, tutoring, and therapies.”

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