Speaking of California alone, funding for special education has been increased by $1 billion since 2019-20. For 2024-25, California’s combined state and federal funding for special education is $6 billion. Sadly, our community is among the ones making the least use of this hefty amount. In California, $40 million of this amount are allocated to K-2 dyslexia and literacy screening, while $25 million are allocated to train personnel to administer tests and provide support to learners. These funds can only be utilized if there is greater awareness and earlier screening - Photo EdSource
LD ‘Blindness’: Let’s Put the Stigma aside
By Irum Sarfaraz
Pleasanton, CA
The term color blind is both a figurative and medical term. Medically, it is a literal inability to recognize certain colors, primarily red and green, and this is the case with 99 percent of the colorblind. A total color blindness, monochromacy, is extremely rare and these individual live in a world of gray and white only. Although color blindness is an affliction, millions of people live their lives in states of self-inflicted ‘situation blindness’ where they blatantly choose not to acknowledge or accept medically and scientifically accepted ailments and conditions due to taboos and stigmas. One such, and not the only, troubling, self-inflicted ‘situation blindness’ for Pakistanis is how they refuse to acknowledge a learning disability because it’s a great social taboo.
LDs are on the rise across the world and it’s less because of what parents are doing wrong and more with how technologicy, nutrition, and society have evolved over the past 25 years. The world has become an extremely complicated, and often unnavigable, treacherous terrain for even Gen Z, 1997-2009, let alone Gen Alpha, 2010 and beyond. The more complicated the medium, the greater the chances of anomalies. With reference to learning, this anomaly is surfacing as a wide spectrum of hurdles, most commonly ADHD, dysgraphia, dyslexia, and autism. Where other communities are quick to seek support for their children to empower their learning from the start, the Pakistani community has historically evaded countless issues due to societal stigmas.
Children are a parent’s most valuable resource, and overwhelmingly so for Asian communities where all bets are placed on progeny. There is an intense air of competition over scores, achievements, competitive majors, colleges and universities, etc. In this high-stake race, the horse that lags becomes a showkiller rather than a showstopper and all efforts are made to keep it in the stables with desi totkas tried on it to get it to run. In the process, the proverbial horse loses self-esteem, confidence, and precious learning years. Consequently, the condition worsens, learning is severely hampered, frustration mounts for parent and child, and no progress is made. The analogy of the horse fits the situation to the T.
Speaking of California alone, funding for special education has been increased by $1 billion since 2019-20. For 2024-25, California’s combined state and federal funding for special education is $6 billion. Sadly, our community is among the ones making the least use of this hefty amount. In California, $40 million of this amount are allocated to K-2 dyslexia and literacy screening, while $25 million are allocated to train personnel to administer tests and provide support to learners. These funds can only be utilized if there is greater awareness and earlier screening. Unfortunately, the multitude of taboos Pakistanis nurture for LDs don’t allow them to utilize these funds.
It is high time, Pakistanis understood some facts regarding LDs, primarily:
1. LDs are not a phase of life that a child ‘outgrows’.
2. LDs do not get better if you ignore them. They get worse.
3. Children must not be expected to ‘deal with their challenges’ as they grow older; they cannot.
4. Undiagnosed and untreated LDs snowball the frustration and lack of motivation for both child and parent.
5. LDs do not get better by changing schools. They need to be diagnosed and supported.
6. Unless a parent is a trained professional of the field, he cannot help the child as a trained professional can.
7. Home remedies will not help children conquer learning blocks and challenges.
8. Extra tuitions do not solve the problem.
9. LDs are real issues. They are not laziness, lack of discipline, or bad parenting.
10. LDs do not label the child as dumb or unintelligent. Getting children assessed reflects responsible and serious parenting.
Let’s put the stigma aside and resolve to help our kids succeed. The world now is a challenging enough place for adults. Let’s make it less so for the kids. Let’s not choose to be color blind when it comes to LDs.
