WASHINGTON – As part of the Department's recognition of National Learning Disabilities and Dyslexia Awareness Month, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos today convened a roundtable of parents and advocates from the disability community to engage in a dialogue on how the Department can best serve children with disabilities.

"Every child has unique challenges and abilities, and children with dyslexia are no different – they simply learn differently," said Secretary DeVos. "As many as one in five Americans experience a language-based learning disability, and too many of them do not receive the resources they need in our schools. The Department will continue to work every day to empower families with the supports and services they need in learning environments that best fit their children's individual educational needs. I'm grateful to Sen. Bill Cassidy and Dr. Laura Cassidy for joining this discussion and for their exceptional work on this issue, and I thank all of today's participants for the constructive exchange."

Participants included:

• U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy
• Dr. Laura Cassidy
• Decoding Dyslexia
• International Dyslexia Association
• Learning Disabilities Association of America
• National Center for Learning Disabilities
• National Center on Improving Literacy
• The Dyslexia Foundation