Free special-education workshops for Dallas ISD parents start with a dyslexia simulation Tuesday

Parents of Dallas ISD students with disabilities have a full slate of free trainings this month, starting Tuesday with a hands-on session meant to show what reading with dyslexia feels like.

The district's Special Services family and community engagement team runs the workshops through the school year for families of students in special education and those served under Section 504. Most are held at the Haskell Building from 10 a.m. to noon, according to the district's registration page, where parents can view details and sign up for each session.

October schedule

• Oct. 6: Experience Dyslexia, on the first and second floors of the Haskell Building
• Oct. 7 to Nov. 18: Sign Language Classes for Parents, a seven-session series
• Oct. 12: Third annual Districtwide Services Expo, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Forester Athletic Complex
• Oct. 20: Understanding Autism (first floor) and Section 504 Series: Part 1 (second floor)
• Oct. 27: Understanding Your Child's Behavior

November sessions cover Section 504 Part 2, transition planning for elementary and secondary families, and building a language-rich home.

Why the district runs them

Topics are chosen from parent survey responses, and sessions are also presented entirely in Spanish, the district said in an Oct. 1 post on its news site. This month's dyslexia simulation comes through a partnership with the district's dyslexia department.

"When parents are told their child has a disability, they're in shock, and there's not a lot they're going to understand in one hour," said Mario Carrizales, a Special Education Services coordinator. "Our main goal is to give them the knowledge and confidence they need to support their children at home."

Carrizales said he opens each session by asking parents to introduce themselves to the people around them. By the end, he said, parents who were strangers are trading ideas and strategies.

Sources

dallasisd.org

thehub.dallasisd.org