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NCLD: Despite your dyslexia, you’ve worked for the White House National Economic Council, and the Children’s Defense Fund, and you’ve earned graduate degrees from Stanford. How did you build the necessary confidence to thrive, despite the daily challenges of your LD?
Ben Foss: Not despite dyslexia. Because of my dyslexia I functioned well in these professional environs. I learned to pay attention to what matters in an academic or a professional setting. I knew that I could not read an entire book, so I would prioritize, reading only the most important chapter. In the White House, no one has enough time, so being able to prioritize and delegate is critical. I also learned to engage people and understand their roles. This is how I navigated third grade. I understood that the resource room teacher was my ticket to getting through spelling tests, not the general ed classroom teacher. The same applied at the Children’s Defense Fund. The budget director of the organization is critical to supporting my budget requests, not the executive director, and so on.
NCLD: As the project manager for development of the Intel Reader, what were your main goals for developing this innovative tool? And, what makes it different from other assistive technologies that support reading?
Ben Foss: I was frustrated with the existing tools. I used to wait three weeks to get my books in an audio format I could use, and this was at Stanford, a fancy school with lots of money. I wanted to be able to read right on the spot. In 2006 at Intel, I started playing with cameras and computers and realized that I could build a system that gave me independence, allowing me to point, shoot and listen to printed text. My overall goal was to get the best technology into the hands of people who need it. Intel has brilliant scientists on staff and working with them to solve the technical issues allowed us to develop something portable you can carry with you. This means you can read on the go, reading a handout in class or a menu in a restaurant, as opposed to trying to lug around a flatbed scanner.
NCLD: As an adult, you’ve been a passionate spokesman for those with dyslexia, and an avid promoter of the importance of self-advocacy. Tell us about your organization, Headstrong.
Ben Foss: I started Headstrong, www.headstrongnation.org, in 2003 because I was frustrated that all the useful information about learning disabilities was in books. This made about as much sense as having the wheelchair meeting upstairs. We put this information into formats people in our community can use, like film. We made a national award-winning film Headstrong, about the first person to win a civil rights victory in the area of dyslexia. You can watch the film for free on the site. We also have forums for discussion, information on resources and a website that will read itself aloud to you with the click of a button. Overall, we are re-framing this as a public policy and a civil rights issue.
How many people could we keep out of prison if we offered the right accommodations in schools, allowing people to get a high school diploma? How many more jobs could our economy produce if we trained people with LD to ask for what they need in the workplace? These are the questions we should be asking.
NCLD: What are your top five tips for parents of kids with LD?
