For Stephen Gaynor School, Learning Difference Awareness Month is about more than raising awareness. It is an opportunity for students to better understand themselves as learners, recognize the power of their voices, and consider how they can use those voices to advocate for others.
On Thursday, October 8, Stephen Gaynor School welcomed Lindsay Kubatzky, Director of Policy and Advocacy for the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), for two conversations at the PAC hosted by Head of School Dr. Scott Gaynor. Kubatzky first spoke with parents and guardians before meeting with approximately 100 Gaynor students in the Green and Blue Clusters.
Dr. Gaynor, who serves as Vice Chair of NCLD’s Board of Directors, spoke about why the organization’s work is particularly meaningful to the Gaynor community. While Gaynor students benefit from an educational environment intentionally designed around how they learn, millions of students with learning differences across the country do not necessarily have access to the same specialized instruction, resources, and support.
Kubatzky explained that NCLD advocates at the national level for policies that protect and support students with learning differences. The parent conversation focused on three current priorities: fully funding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), advancing the RISE Act, and protecting the role of the U.S. Department of Education in safeguarding educational and civil rights protections for students.
The RISE Act provided a particularly relevant example. The legislation would help students with documented learning differences continue to access accommodations in college without having to obtain a costly new evaluation simply to prove a disability that has already been established.
But the larger message of the morning was about the role everyone can play in advocacy.
Kubatzky encouraged parents to remain engaged in their children’s education while also advocating for families who may not have the same resources or opportunities to make their voices heard. During the parent Q&A, one parent asked about the millions of students identified with learning differences nationwide and how many more may go unidentified. Kubatzky discussed the complexities of identification, including disparities among different groups of students and the importance of ensuring that children are accurately identified and receive the support they need. (Hear some of Lindsay Kubatzky’s message to parents on our Gator Gab podcast).
For Gaynor families, the conversation underscored something especially familiar: how important it can be for a child to understand how they learn and to have adults who recognize and support those needs. For Green and Blue Cluster students, Kubatzky brought that message even closer to home by encouraging them to understand how they learn, know what supports help them succeed, and become comfortable communicating those needs to others.
That progression is at the heart of Gaynor’s Learning Difference Awareness Month activities: self-awareness, self-advocacy, and ultimately advocacy for others.
Students are putting that idea into action this month by writing postcards to elected officials in support of issues affecting people with learning differences. Kubatzky reminded students that even though they are not yet old enough to vote, they are constituents, and their elected representatives need to hear from them about the issues that matter to their communities.
The student session ended with an enthusiastic question-and-answer period, with students asking about legislation, the role of politicians in education, how laws are passed, and how young people can become involved in advocacy themselves.
Dr. Gaynor also shared something he frequently hears from Gaynor alumni and the schools they attend after graduation — Gaynor students know how to advocate for themselves. Learning Differences Awareness Month builds on that strength by asking students to look beyond themselves and recognize how their experiences can help them advocate for others.
It is an important reminder that advocacy does not have to begin in Washington. Sometimes, it can begin with understanding yourself, speaking up, and sending a postcard.
