Each October the nation turns its attention to the one in five students who learn differently because they have dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or other specific learning disabilities. Eye to Eye honors and recognizes the community of people who learn differently during Learning Disabilities Awareness Month and throughout the year.

What does awareness actually mean?

What would real awareness look like in our schools, homes, and workplaces? It would look like schools in which students and educators clearly define what learning differences are and are not. It would look like a community that values the diversity and strengths of different learners while understanding the challenges those learning differences present. It would mean that we all encourage empowering conversations about individual approaches to learning with an understanding of how prevalent learning differences are.

What would it mean if we could instill that awareness? It would break the stigma surrounding those who learn differently. It would create a safe space where a student could say, “I really think I could learn better if I just had this.” No one should feel ashamed to ask for what they need to learn, grow, and pursue their goals.

That’s why Eye to Eye developed and Learning Differently 101 to coincide with Learning Disabilities Awareness Month. Both middle school students who learn differently and the educators in their lives gain a deeper awareness and understanding of what it’s like to learn differently, become comfortable talking about learning differences in a strengths-based and empowering way, connect with a broader community navigating the same experiences, and increase their confidence through exposure to a variety of proven strategies for increasing understanding and building empathy.

Learning differences? Don’t you mean disabilities?

Eye to Eye uses the term learning differences to encompass specifically-diagnosed learning disabilities and attention disorders as well as areas of executive functioning. At Eye to Eye, we’re working to eliminate the stigma of learning disabilities and attention disorders by reframing and celebrating them as the learning differences that they are.

Our community committed to spreading awareness

Last month, our community of those who learn differently and their allies spread awareness by sharing their stories and introducing new students and educators to Eye to Eye.