With the legislative passing and Governor Noem signing of HB 1175, South Dakota joins 49 other states in having laws on Dyslexia. State Rep. Nancy Rasmussen (R-Hurly) spearheaded the passing of the law. Gov. Noem has been diligent on ensuring a better South Dakota for generations to come to that struggle with Dyslexia. Dyslexia is a bio-neurological condition affecting one in five people. HB 1175 defines Dyslexia for all those affected.

Contrary to popular belief on the learning disability, Dyslexics do not “see” words backward. The “b-d” letter reversal, for example, is mainly caused by deficits in interpreting left and right. “Dyslexia is thought to be one of the most common language-based learning disabilities. It is the most common cause of reading, writing, and spelling difficulties. Of people with reading difficulties, 70-80% are likely to have some form of Dyslexia,” according to a University of Michigan study. 

           Legislators from around the state spoke on the impact of student testimony throughout the legislative process. Non-profits like Decoding Dyslexia, Beyond Dyslexia Inc., and The International Dyslexia Association all testified at the congressional education committee hearings in favor of passage. I was honored to testify before the SD House Education committee and speak with our legislatures at the Legislative Coffee. With the passing of this bill, South Dakota is on the map for having legislation on Dyslexia.

           Beyond Dyslexia’s Dyslexia’s next steps are working with the Department of Education to put into policy their plans for Dyslexic education in South Dakota through Secretary Ben Jones support. As President of Beyond Dyslexia I hopes to add progressive intervention and screening to the department’s policy, these ideas replicate laws like those in Mississippi and Minnesota. Also, Beyond Dyslexia hopes to build on the federal level the intervention strategies, like Mississippi’s “Lexercise” dyslexia screener, set up for student intervention and success. We hear about how huge of an issue literacy is but one substantial factor to our literacy problem is undiagnosed and untreated Dyslexia. Our schools do not have the resources and often only teach with a cookie-cutter mentality; leaving those who learn differently in the wake. By HB 1175 becoming a law, the Department of Education’s Dyslexia handbook could be provided at every 504 and IEP meeting. The created handbook does a great job of outlining Dyslexia, but the knowledge of the handbook is minimal to the general population. 

-Margaret Samp, President of Beyond Dyslexia