MSU hosts Dyslexia Innovation Symposium

On Thursday, Oct. 28, and Friday, Oct. 29, MSU hosted the Dyslexia Innovation (DXI) Symposium. The online event focused on the strengths of the dyslexic mind. The event welcomed 20 nationally known speakers, group panel discussions and workshop sessions. The recognizable speakers included published authors, X Games athletes, film industry innovators and a cultural trend futurist. The event hosted a total of 600 registered participants.

Dyslexia is a learning difference that makes it challenging to decode letters, words and numbers. In 2019, the Montana State Legislature passed a law to legally define dyslexia as a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin, characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition and poor spelling and decoding abilities.

MSU professors Jeffrey Conger, from the College of Arts and Architecture, and Sarah Pennington, from the College of Education and Health and Human Development, collaborated to highlight the neurodiversity of dyslexia during the symposium. Neurodiversity refers to the idea that developmental disorders are normal variations in the brain.

“The 2021 DXI symposium exceeded all expectations and filled to capacity with 600 registered participants,” Conger said “The goal of this 100% virtual event is to shine the light on dyslexia in a new and positive way. At the same time connect with both K-12 and higher education systems throughout rural and urban communities alike.”

The current narrative around dyslexia in the U.S. views the condition as a disability rather than a learning difference that is just a barrier for an individual to find success. The symposium focused on strengths of the dyslexic mind to encourage dyslexic individuals to build their confidence and reach their goals by looking at the success of others.

Conger referenced the non-profit Made by Dyslexia, which describes the several strengths of the dyslexic mind. Some advantages of dyslexia include visualizing, imagining, communicating, exploring, connecting and reasoning. These strengths lead to thinking about the bigger picture and solving complex problems.

MSU’s Statement on Diversity outlines a culture of intellectual and personal growth. Diversity includes a number of factors, such as race, gender, age, race, religion -  but it also encompasses neurodiversity, which is often overlooked. MSU welcomes all and offers many resources for dyslexic individuals to utilize. These resources are provided by the Office of Disability Services, the Allan Yarnell Center for Student Success and the Writing Center .

This symposium was made possible with support of the DXI advisory board and the symposium’s Council of Twelve, along with funding provided by the Office of the President and the Office of Research, Economic Development and Graduate Education.