Interview with Elisheva Schwartz on July 20, 2017: The Dyslexia Quest Podcast interview to discuss our Pathways to Success project and our current project “Dyslexia Throughout the Generations”
- Dr. Blace Nalavany and Dr. Lena Carawan recently had the pleasure of a second interview with Elisheva Schwartz. This follows a first interview in 2014. The discussion centered on the current project and invited parents with dyslexia raising children with dyslexia (ages 7 to 18) to participate.
- The Dyslexia Quest Podcast highlights Elisheva’s “journey to decode the power of the dyslexic mind, through conversations about intelligence, neurodiversity, optimized learning environments, post-traumatic growth and the science of flourishing.”
- You can listen to the interview here: http://www.elishevaschwartz.com/podcast/dyslexia-across-generations-with-dr-lena-carawan-dr-blace-nalavany/
Our Presentations and Interviews
Regional Presentations in April 2017
- Drs. Carawan and Nalavany had a busy April beginning with a presentation at the Eastern AHEC Adult Services Conference in Greenville, NC on April 27. Our presentation was titled “How to be a Dyslexia-Friendly Mental Health Practitioner: 10 Years of Research on the Psychosocial Aspect of Adults with Dyslexia: Implications for Practice.”
- Our goal was two-fold: for participants which included mental health clinicians to understand that dyslexia is not just about education but has lasting social and emotional implications throughout the life span. We also wanted participants to understand the importance of dyslexia assessment and how research findings can inform mental health practice. The presentation was well attended with lively discussion.
- The next day on April 28 we presented at the East Carolina University Project STEPP Advancement Council meeting. STEPP is a specific program geared to assist a limited number of college students with dyslexia and other learning differences. Their “mission is to provide students with learning disabilities who aspire to achieve a college education and who demonstrate the potential for postsecondary success with access and comprehensive support throughout the university experience.”
- We presented to parents and students of the STEPP Program about our 10 years of ongoing research on the social and emotional aspects of dyslexia. It was a very moving experience for us to hear stories from both parents and students about their personal dyslexia experience. For further information about the STEPP Program, visit: http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/stepp/
5th All European Dyslexia Conference, Modena, Italy September 21-24, 2016
- In September we traveled to Modena, Italy with our UK colleague, Dr. Julie Logan, to present our collaborative research. The title of our presentation was “The relationship between emotional experience with dyslexia and work self-efficacy among adults with dyslexia.” We appreciated that our presentation was well received with thoughtful questions and comments from the audience.
- This was our first time presenting at the European Dyslexia Association conference. It was exciting to share our research as well as learn from other researchers. Presenting internationally adds to our understanding and importance of the global commonality of dyslexia. Working together in the global community can ultimately benefit individuals with dyslexia worldwide.
British Dyslexia Association 10th International Conference in Oxford, England on Friday, March 11 2016
- The title of our presentation was “Can a Web-Based Survey Speak to the Lived Experience of Adults with Dyslexia?” We were fortunate to have an opportunity to meet Margaret Malpas, President of the British Dyslexia Association. We were also able to meet with Carol Leather, Dr. David McLoughlin, and Dr. Melody Terras and have an enlightening discussion on current issues in the field of dyslexia. We enjoyed the conference as well as the city of historical Oxford.
Interview by Elisheva Schwartz on adult dyslexia, self-esteem, and their research on December 1, 2015
- Elisheva Schwartz is on a quest to change the perception of dyslexia by encouraging a strength-based definition. The Dyslexia Quest is “the fastest growing media platform in all of the special education genre.” She is passionate about her work and encourages anyone who is curious about dyslexia to join her on this journey. The use of the Dyslexia Quest Podcast includes many interviews with leading experts in the field who discuss the many different aspects of dyslexia
- Dr. Blace Nalavany and Dr. Lena Carawan were recently interviewed by Elisheva Schwartz. Drs. Nalavany and Carawan spoke about their research and specifically addressed adult dyslexia and self-esteem. You can watch Drs. Nalavany and Carawan’s interview by clicking on the following link:
- http://www.elishevaschwartz.com/podcast/self-esteem-adult-dyslexia-lena-carawan-blace-nalavany/
British Dyslexia Association 9th International Conference in Guilford, England on March 29, 2014
- The title of our presentation was “Adults with Dyslexia, an Invisible Disability: The Mediational Role of Concealment on Perceived Family Support and Self-Esteem.”
- While in England we met with Dr. Julie Logan who is perhaps best known for her work on the connection between entrepreneurs and dyslexia. She is a partner in our present research on intergenerational dyslexia.
- We also had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Melody Terras, who is highly regarded for her research on parents who are raising children with dyslexia.
LDA 2013 San Antonio Poster Presentation
- We presented findings on links between family support, concealment of dyslexia - an invisible stigma, and self-esteem. These findings are based on our large national study on adults with dyslexia.
Drs. Fernette and Brock Edie
- We have long been admirers of Drs. Fernetter and Brock Edie's work. Their latest book, The Dyslexic Adavantage: Unlocking the hidden Potential of the Dyslexic is a scientific look at the advantages of dyslexia. We had the pleasure of attending their keynote address at LDA 2013 and later spending time with them.
Filmmaker: Harvey Hubbell V
- Dislecksia: The Movie, the brainchild of Harvey Hubbell V, was screened at LDA in San Antonio on February 14, 2013 followed by a panel discussion. We were honored to participate in the panel moderated by Harvey. The audience was riveted to the movie and asked thought provoking questions about how to raise awareness of dyslexia that could lead to change and validation.
LDA 2012 Chicago Poster Presentation
- We presented findings from a recent publication: Considering the Role of Traditional and Specialist Schools.
LDA Presenation 2011
- We had the honor of presenting at the Learning Disabilities Association of America 48th Annual International Conference in Jacksonville, Florida on February 23, 2011. We provided a brief historical summary of this ongoing project on the social and emotional aspects of adults with dyslexia. We then presented an overview and the findings of the "Adults with Dyslexia: Pathyways to success" study. In addition to the workshop presentation, we also presented a poster presentation later in the week.
- We believe the most important part of our workshop was the input from our panelists and the comments and questions of the audience. We are grateful for our 4 panelists from all over the country for taking valuable time away from their busy schedules to attend and share their experiences and wisdom as an adult with dyslexia. In keeping with our intent to make adults with dyslexia from and center in our work, their stories gave voice and context to what we believe are the compelling findings from our study. The commitment, conviction and support from individuals like our panelists provide the spirit and energy to keep this project moving.
- As researchers we understand that wise teachers light fires and create revolutions. From our perspective the teachers are the adults with dyslexia. We only put the pieces together. We thank each of our panelists for coming to Jacksonville and sharing their experiences. Let's go out and create a revolution that will inform professionals, families, and the public about the realities of being an adult with dyslexia.
LDA presentation 2010
- We had the pleasure of presenting the findings from Phase I (concept mapping) at the Learning Disabilities Association of America's 47th Annual International Conference in Baltimore February 17-20, 2010. We had a great turnout at our presentation and the participants asked important questions and provided compelling comments. We met many committed key stakeholders throughout the conference and look forward to partnering with them for future work.
Eastern AHEC Presentation
- We presented our work on adults with dyslexia at the 2010 Annual Eastern Region Adult Services Conference on April 27. The goal of the session was to help mental health professionals understand dyslexia, the life experiences of adults with dyslexia, and discuss the policy and practice implications for this population. We had a great discussion on the practice implications of the findings as well as enlightening discussion about the personal implications as some attendees had family members with dyslexia.
East Carolina University Master of Social Work Field Education Orientation and Training
- In August 2009, we presented the finding of Phase I (concept mapping) to over 100 graduate level social workers and nearly as many professionals in the community. To say the least, the audience was greatly moved by the findings. One courageous student who participated in the study expressed her honest feelings about what it is like to be an adult with dyslexia and how touched she was by participating in the study. Since our presentation, we have heard from many professionals in the community who are much more aware of how dyslexia affects adults and what they can do to intervene in the best way possible.
Doctoral- Level Class Presentation
In September 2009, we presented the findings of Phase I (concept mapping) to an interdisciplinary master and doctoral level qualitative research class.
British Dyslexia Association 11th International Conference in Telford, UK 2018
On Saturday, April 14, 2018, we presented iyr collaborative research with our UK colleague, Dr. Julie Logan. The title of our presentation was “The relationship between emotional experience with dyslexia and work self-efficacy among adults with dyslexia.” This research was recently published in the journal Dyslexia and can be found within “Our Research” page of this website. We will report on our visit to the UK after the conference.
PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS:
DYSLEXIA THROUGHOUT THE GENERATIONS
Lor, 2018
