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Dyslexic Teen Shares Use of Classroom Literacy Technology Tools For Success
…After Years of Struggle in School
Thinking back, Nichelle Stewart, now a freshman at Woodson High
School in Fairfax County, Virginia recalls that she couldn't wait to
start kindergarten. She looked forward to getting on the bus and meeting
her first teacher, but her excitement was soon crushed by the dread of
reading.
Nichelle found out quickly that she didn’t learn like the other students
whose reading skills progressed though elementary school. Teachers were
stumped why she could not read simple sight words and her words got
jumbled up. Throughout middle school, her classmates called her dumb and
some teachers thought her to be lazy. “I felt odd; not smart,” she
said. “I knew that I didn’t learn like the other kids and I was jealous
of them. They bullied me, so I kept to myself. I didn’t socialize or
participate in class.”
 Nichelle’s reading issues were ultimately diagnosed as dyslexia. In her
first year of high school, she asked her 9th grade teacher, Ms. Ellen
O'Ryon, “Is there technology that could help me become a better learner?”
Ms. O'Ryon requested the assistance of Mollie Kropp, the Assistive
Technology (AT) Resource Teacher and today, the 16 year old proudly
displays A’s and B’s on her report card. Her reading skills jumped four
grade levels and she carries a binder with her in school to remind her
how far she has come. The binder includes assignments, report cards,
inspirational quotes, IEP goals, certificates of achievement and a photo
of Whoopi Goldberg, who also has dyslexia. The cover reads… “Failure is
Not an Option.”
How could this quiet, reserved teenager excel at such a rapid rate after
failing for nine years? The solution rested in the hands of insightful
teachers and specialists, like Ms. O'Ryon and Ms. Kropp, and a handful of
AT tools on a laptop computer. Because of her dyslexia, Nichelle needs
to hear content read aloud and the ability to repeat and review subject
matter often so that her mind can process the data. “Ms. Kropp changed
my life,” said Nichelle, “by providing me with these technologies.”
 Today, Nichelle is the Fairfax County’s first Student Technology
Ambassador. She is honored by the position and speaks to teachers and
parents about her learning journey with dyslexia. Recently, she spoke to
100 Virginia educators in the TOPS
program, (Technology Outreach Program Support Team). They wanted to
know about the AT tools that led to her ability to succeed at reading,
science, math and history. She created a storyboard (see photo left) to
demonstrate the literacy tools that continue to help her improve her
reading and writing skills.
 In her AT toolkit, Nichelle uses four literacy tools daily to keep up with her schoolwork:
• Read:OutLoud, an accessible text reader that reads eBooks, electronic text and the Internet aloud
• Co:Writer, a word prediction tool that improves spelling and grammar
• Write:OutLoud, a talking word processor that reads words and sentences as students write
• A Smart Pen and Livescribe paper. Nichelle can record notes in
class and can later listen to any part of the recording to review her
notes after the lecture is over. This tool helps her to increase her
reading fluency skills because she can read printed materials, then
listen to herself to see which words she missed.
Hearing text aloud reinforces Nichelle’s ability to comprehend even when dyslexia mixes her words and letters. Through the Virginia district’s accessible instructional materials (AIM-VA)
she was able to get her curriculum materials in an alternative format
and then use the technology and training provided by Fairfax County
Public Schools’ AT Services to access digital materials and books to
support her learning needs.
In one year, this tenacious young teen went from failing to studying on
grade level; from sitting in the back of the class to excelling beyond
expectations; from dreading school to dreaming of college. Next year,
she will mentor other students and help Ms. Kropp build a team of
tech-savvy ambassadors. This team will talk with teachers, parents, and
peers about the benefits of assistive technology. “If teachers and
students learn how to use this classroom technology and advocate for the
AT that best accommodate their learning styles, they won’t have the
experience I did,” she said.
For everything Nichelle writes today…essays, emails to teachers, poetry and presentations, she uses Co:Writer and Write:OutLoud
assistive technologies. Her favorite tool is Read:OutLoud, the software
that reads eBooks and the Internet. Read:OutLoud also has a variety of
homework tools that help her collect data, organize notes, do research
and accurately cite a bibliography.
Mr. Adam Entenberg, Assistant Principal at Woodson, said, “Nichelle is a
role model. With the support of her teachers and the technology, she
had the fortitude to move beyond her learning challenges. She can now
do anything she sets out to do; including attending college. It will be
great to celebrate more of her achievements throughout high school.”
With a precious smile, Nichelle credits her mother and grandmother who
kept her going. She also has many new friends and is especially
grateful to Ms. Kropp for providing the literacy tools and accessible
books that helped her comprehend required courses.
“Typically, there’s no looking back,” she said, “but I want others to
learn from my experience. I hope more teachers will see the benefits
that assistive technologies can have for students and provide these
tools as early as possible in school.
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