A proclamation recognizing October as Dyslexia Awareness Month and Declaring October 26th, 2020 as AdvocacyDenver Day.
Will you please read proclamation 1196 for us? Thank you, Madam President. Whereas October is recognized as Worldwide Dyslexia Awareness Month. And. Whereas, Dyslexia is a learning disorder that affects the language centers of the brain in a manner that leads to difficulties in reading due to challenges in recognizing words and or word sounds. And. Whereas, individuals with dyslexia are problem solvers that thrive in decoding some of the most complicated academic and societal challenges. And. WHEREAS, students with dyslexia are entitled to a supportive, inclusive environment that promotes educational progress with evidence based, multifaceted interventions in order for them to attain their full potential. And. Whereas, individuals with dyslexia have gone on to become some of the most successful entrepreneurs, scientists, artists and engineers in our community. And. Whereas, advocacy. Denver was established in 1954 by parents as the arc of Denver to address the lack of access for children with disabilities to public education and formally changed its name to advocacy. Denver in 2009. And. Whereas Advocacy, Denver is a nonprofit civil rights advocacy organization that is dedicated to the protection of the human rights of people with disabilities, including dyslexia. And. WHEREAS, the City Council of the City and County of Denver support the demands of advocacy Denver. That the public school system complete culturally and linguistically appropriate evaluations and implement evidence based strategies where practice where a practices designed which are practices designed to meet the individual needs of the student in order for them to meet their potential. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the Council of the City and County of Denver, Section one, that the Council of the City and County of Denver recognizes the month of October as Dyslexia Awareness Month and October 26, 2020 as advocacy Denver Day in Section two that the clerk in the city and that the clerk of the city and county of Denver shall affix the seal of the city and county of Denver to this proclamation and that copies be transmitted to Pamela Buscaglia, executive director of Advocacy Denver. Thank you. Councilmember Sawyer, your motion to adopt. I move that proclamation 20 dash 1196 be adopted. I don't think it has been moved and seconded. Comments by members of Council Councilmember Sawyer. Thank you. Madam President, every October, dyslexia and forms of dyslexia, including two scrappier, are recognized during Dyslexia Awareness Month. Tonight, members of Council wear red to raise awareness about dyslexia, which is a learning disorder affecting up to 20% of the world's population. Despite the challenges that dyslexics face, they are out of the box thinkers and creative problem solvers. So it's no surprise that famous and inspirational dyslexics include people like Lippi, Whoopi Goldberg, Magic Johnson, Stephen Spielberg, and our very own Senator Michael Bennet. Dyslexia awareness is especially important to our office, and we'd like to recognize two wonderful and brilliant members of the District five family who have dyslexia. One who prefers to remain anonymous. And the other one, my daughter, Olivia. You are both amazing humans who we love very much. We watch you not just overcome your disability, but thrive and you inspire us every single day. This proclamation also declares that today, October 26th, is advocacy. Denver Day Advocacy. Denver was one of the first our chapters and was established in 1954 by parents to address the lack of access for children with disabilities to public education. So advocacy. Denver's mission is to promote and protect human rights of people with disabilities and support their full inclusion and participation in our community. Advocacy. Denver is an advocacy organization for children with a range of disabilities, including to dyslexia and to scrappier in public and private schools, including DPS. So this proclamation, specifically States Council's support of students with disabilities, the right to an inclusive education, the right to assessments, the right to accommodations, the right to evidence based interventions, and an environment that allows them to thrive and meet their fullest potential. Because our students deserve nothing less. So I want to thank advocacy Denver for 66 years of service to our community so that every single person with a disability has the right to live equally and freely and with dignity and respect. It's because of organizations like Advocacy Denver that kids like mine. Can. Learn and thrive in the city and county of Denver. So for all of you out there who are the parent of a child who have special needs of any kind, you understand the depth of my gratitude when I say thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I encourage my colleagues to vote yes on this proclamation . Thank you, Madam President. Thank you, Councilmember Sawyer. And I'll quickly share. Both of my daughters have dyslexia, too. One was diagnosed when she was in fifth grade, which you can only imagine how her elementary years went. She could never pass a spelling test and so spend a lot of time sitting on the wall. And then our youngest daughter, she was diagnosed when she was in kindergarten. And the supports and advocacy and resources are amazing the earlier that you can detect and get those supports. And so thank you, Pamela, for your organization and council member Sawyer for your advocacy and. Madam Secretary, roll call, please. Sawyer. I. Torres. I black. Eye. I see the bucket. I. Clark. I. When I. Herndon. I. Hi. I am. Cashmere High. Can h I ask Ortega Sandoval. Hi. Madam President. I. Madam Secretary, please close the voting and announce the results. 13 Eyes. 13 Eyes Proclamation 1196 has been adopted. We have 5 minutes for proclamation acceptance. Council member Sawyer will start the five minute timer if you'd like to introduce. Who will accept the proclamation? Thank you, Madam President. Tonight we have Pamela, bachelor and Pamela. I think I messed up your name earlier. Apologies. She's the executive director of Advocacy Denver, and she is joining us to accept the proclamation. So, Pamela, thank you so much for being here and take it away. Thank you. Thank you. Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer and Denver City Council members for this proclamation and for recognizing the work of the advocacy Denver team and board advocacy. Denver's programs serve people with disabilities from ages, birth through lives. Individual advocacy is the cornerstone of our organization and staff maintains skills and knowledge about the different systems, both public and private, and the protections of individuals with disabilities through its programs and services. Advocacy. Denver addresses and advocates to eliminate the barriers for clients in accessing education and other community systems. Each year, between 304 hundred parents of children with disabilities enjoy one on one assistance with one of our advocates to address issues they are facing and to provide the education and skills to empower them to make informed decisions. We work with a large community of parents whose child is diagnosed with dyslexia and are eligible for specially designed instruction and accommodations. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, when provided appropriate services and interventions, we know that these students can participate and excel in the general education curriculum, graduate from high school, participate in post-secondary education, become gainfully employed and grow and enjoy the same privileges as typical peers. We know that everything is possible when children with disabilities are provided educational programing designed to help them meet their individual potential. Thank you very much. Thank you. We really appreciate you being here as well. Pamela. All right. Moving on in the agenda, Madam Secretary, please read the bills for introduction.