Dinowitz gets educational needs

To the editor:

Our Councilman, Eric Dinowitz, has made higher education in our city immeasurably better for people like me who have had to work to overcome their learning differences at every turn.

As a dyslexic student, it has always been a struggle for me to get the accommodations and support I needed to get by in school. The biggest factor which enabled me to succeed in college was when a professor noticed my struggles and dragged me by the ear to my colleges learning center to make sure that I had the academic support I needed to pass their class.

This was a lucky break for me, as none of my previous teachers had taken my needs seriously before. And without this, I couldn’t guarantee that I would have had the same success in higher education.

Students shouldn’t have to have a lucky break to get the support they need in school, and I am so proud to have my councilman passing legislation that would ensure that students get the support they need from day one of college.

Although this bill passed without much fanfare — even in this local paper — we should not discount the immediate positive impact this legislation will have for the students of New York City. Students who don’t have parents who can afford to be a full-time advocate for them have found an ally in Eric Dinowitz.

Councilman Dinowitz, as a former special education teacher in New York City public schools, has been a critical and visible advocate for people like me. This visibility is so important to students who may not have the confidence to attend college when, throughout their entire academic life, they have had to self-advocate for the bare minimum of support.

Faced with moving on to a more independent time of life, students shouldn’t have to worry about finding the resources they are entitled to — not to mention the need of their academic institutions taking their needs seriously. When I have bumped into Councilman Dinowitz on the street and at events supporting Democrats across the country, he has always taken the time to let me know that he was working on this piece of legislation.

When the City Council has been historically slow to pass legislation, Eric has managed to get things done and pass legislation in his first full term, which will improve academic equity immediately and for generations to come.

From a student with dyslexia: Thank you, Eric Dinowitz!

Sam Adler