This Fall, Reinhardt’s Dyslexia Library opened in Paul Jones Hall. The resource offers multi-sensory learning tools and books for reading and math, which benefit both dyslexic and non-dyslexic students. Reinhardt students in the Price School of Education find the new library supplies extremely beneficial and plan to use them to support their student teaching experience.
Courtney Foster (RU-2026), an education major, explained, “It’s a great resource. Having the opportunity to utilize these materials is valuable when we go to Gracepoint, a school serving dyslexic learners. We use the resources in their classrooms and experience working with a child with dyslexia.”
Knowing one in five students in every classroom has some degree of dyslexia, Foster also appreciates Reinhardt instructing future teachers on how to equip dyslexic students with the skills to become independent learners. “The dyslexia endorsement is beneficial because we’re only one of 13 universities in Georgia to offer it, so it’s rare to earn it,” she expressed.
A grant received in 2024 from the Georgia Department of Education made the dyslexic library possible, along with scholarships for six of the students in the endorsement track. Assistant Professor of Education Debby Pinion, who launched the program five years ago, planned how to best utilize the funds, which included creating the library.
“A multi-sensory approach to learning benefits everybody, not just students with dyslexia,” stated Pinion. “The more senses that any child uses, the more likely they are to remember what they have learned. “If they can see it, and touch it, and hear it, and say it, then they’re more likely to know it.” With bins full of multi-sensory resources all in one room, Reinhardt’s future educators gain even more tools to enhance educational experiences.
- By Suzy Alstrin
