Princeton teen overcomes struggle with Dyslexia and heads to Cornell

Ewing, N.J. - It’s that time of year when high school seniors start receiving college acceptance letters in the mail. For Princeton Junction teen Brian Meersma, who like many students struggled for years in school with dyslexia, college once seemed like a far-off dream.

Today, however, that dream is a reality: Brian is now a freshman at Cornell University.

The key that has helped Brian to successfully manage his dyslexia and read independently? Using assistive technology software, which can access books and materials online and then read the text back to him. “Assistive technology helped me succeed, and gave me the opportunity to go to college in the first place,” he says.

The story of how Brian went from struggling school student to Ivy League undergrad is featured in a new video series from local nonprofit agency Advancing Opportunities, which provides education and support to people with disabilities throughout New Jersey.

AT Stories Video Series – Spotlighting New Jersey Disability Success Stories

The video series, called AT Stories, can be found on Advancing Opportunities’ new YouTube Channel at youtube.com/user/assistivetechcenter. AT Stories features six New Jersey residents who are thriving, both at work and in school, with the help of assistive technology devices.

“Every day we help New Jerseyans discover, try out and receive training on a range of assistive technology devices,” explains Fred Tchang, Director of Assistive Technology Services for Advancing Opportunities. The AT Stories video series, he says, allows others to better understand how assistive technology helps people with disabilities lead more independent lives. “We often find it’s not enough to tell people about the benefits of assistive technology,” Tchang says. “Sometimes people need to see these benefits in action.”

Brian’s Story: How Assistive Technology made all the Difference

For Brian, school was difficult. Although he was a bright student and loved learning, having dyslexia meant that reading was always a challenge.

When he was in 8th grade, Brian’s school did not encourage his use of assistive technology. “I was in language arts class and I couldn’t really read the book and it was such a struggle,” Brian says. “The teacher would think I wasn’t trying and would get upset with me. It was just so frustrating because I was trying my best.”

Brian’s struggle was not unique. Research suggests that dyslexia may affect as many as 15 percent of Americans. Although dyslexia can affect people differently, it is often characterized by difficulties with accurate word recognition, decoding and spelling.

An assistive technology evaluation led Brian to try out different software options to help manage his dyslexia. Today, Brian uses Learning Ally and Bookshare, online libraries with accessible, downloadable books for people with various print disabilities. These programs allow him to download reading materials from their websites and then, using their software, the text is read back to him. He has also found success using Kurzweil 3000 and various apps on his iPhone

“Technology has enabled me to do so much,” Brian says. “Because of my dyslexia, it’s so hard for me to read. Being able to read and access text from a book or article has been so helpful and opened up so many possibilities for me.”

Brian’s mother, Kathy Stratton, sums it up this way: “Assistive technology has been Brian’s lifeline. It’s been a way to enable him to become independent. Without it, I’m not sure where he would be.”

And Brian is paying it forward—he’s started his own blog, Assistive Technology Blog (bdmtech.blogspot.com), to post app reviews and information on assistive technology devices and services for people with reading disabilities, dyslexia, low vision, blindness and other disabilities. He also has a podcast.

Advancing Opportunities – YouTube Channel

Brian’s story, along with additional AT Stories profiles of New Jersey residents, can be found on Advancing Opportunities’ new YouTube Channel, The Assistive Technology Center. The channel features videos from all over the web that spotlight multiple aspects of assistive technology--all organized into playlists by specific disability, age range and technology.

The AT Stories video project was made possible with a grant from the Richard West Assistive Technology Advocacy Center at Disability Rights New Jersey.

About Advancing Opportunities:

For 64 years, Advancing Opportunities has been providing services, supports, education and advocacy to individuals with disabilities and their families throughout New Jersey, to help them lead more independent lives. For more information on the agency, go to www.advopps.org.
To check out Advancing Opportunities’ new YouTube series on Assistive Technology, visit: youtube.com/user/assistivetechcenter.