Noted Dyslexics Carly Simon, Ben Taylor and Sally Taylor to Join Effort
(Cambridge) To launch his national crowdfunding campaign, Dean Bragonier will dive into the chilly Atlantic waters this summer to make the first official circumnavigation swim around Martha’s Vineyard. “I want to launch my nonprofit organization in a memorable way.” Bragonier explains, “I figured a 50-mile, open ocean swim would do the trick. After all, it’s a great metaphor for the dyslexic experience. The challenge is significant, the conditions are perpetually changing and my success will hinge upon my tenacity and creativity.” says Bragonier.
Joining Bragonier for parts of his epic swim are members of his family who have managed to succeed as a result of their dyslexia. “I’ve divided the swim into 27 legs to encourage participation. My mother-in-law, Carly Simon, has dyslexia as well as my wife, Sally Taylor and brother-in-law, Ben Taylor. They’ve all agreed to dip a toe in the water. It should be a terrific community building event.”
Nearly 20% of the world’s population has dyslexia. Marked by challenges in reading and spelling, dyslexia can be an impediment to students. As many as 35% of students with dyslexia drop out of school, 50% of all juvenile delinquents are dyslexic as well as 60% of all adolescents involved in drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
However, recent neurological discoveries have revealed that dyslexia carries with it tremendous cognitive advantages: “Spielberg, Branson, Schwab, Einstein? These guys are brilliant… And dyslexic” Bragonier explains. “So are 25% of all CEOs, 35% of all entrepreneurs and 50% of all billionaires. We need to expose students with dyslexia to their strengths and leverage their ingenuity in the 21st century marketplace. It’s my job to give them that opportunity in the classroom.”
Dean Starbuck Bragonier is the Founder and Executive Dyslexic of NoticeAbility, a nonprofit organization that creates strength-based, experiential learning curricula for middle school students with dyslexia. Through a collaboration with leaders from the Carroll School, Harvard School of Education, Tufts University and Harvard Business School, NoticeAbility is creating a portfolio of ‘pre-vocational’ courses in fields where dyslexics historically prosper: entrepreneurship, architecture, engineering and the arts.
