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UST Creates Dyslexia Intervention Program
8/10/2009
 A University of St. Thomas study abroad to Jamaica prompted a program which will provide dyslexia training to Jamaican teachers.
Dr. Randall Soffer, School of Education lecturer, lead eight graduate and undergraduate students on the first UST Jamaica study abroad in January 2008. Soffer provided opportunities for the UST students to participate in the education system in Jamaica. Through classroom observations, the group recognized the lack of specialized programs or training to work with students with dyslexia.
The experience in Jamaica motivated Soffer to look for a solution. He applied for an $11,000 grant from the International Association on Learning Disabilities. The grant will enable UST to partner with Houston’s Neuhaus Center for Education and the Jamaica Foundation of Houston to develop the Jamaica Dyslexia Teacher Training.
The Neuhaus Center is recognized for its dyslexia intervention professional development program. The Center will provide two trainers who will instruct 24 selected Jamaican teachers in the Language Enrichment Training Program. Former UST School of Education faculty member, Dr. Regina Boulware-Gooden, is one of the trainers who will teach the Jamaican teachers how to prepare 25 – 40-minute dyslexia intervention lessons that can be adapted to any grade level and can be used with a whole class, small group or an individual student.
For the program to work smoothly, the Center needed three “shepherds” or on-site program representatives, who will serve as the bridge between the trainers and the Center to the teachers in Jamaica.
“The intention is that the ‘shepherd’s’ familiarity with the program will allow them to provide the needed guidance to the participants during their practice,” said Rai Thompson, assistant director of Professional Development at Neuhaus Center and also one of the trainers. “Additionally, the three ‘shepherds’ will be able to provide continued feedback to the teachers who will implement the program during the school year.”
 The Jamaica Foundation of Houston helps and supports projects that will improve Jamaica. The native Jamaican members of the Foundation helped open the lines of communication and progress by using their contacts at the Jamaica Ministry of Education and at Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College in Montego Bay.
Soffer describes the project as “meant-to-be” because once he thought he hit a brick wall with funding or volunteers, a person would step in and take some bricks down, so the project could keep moving forward.
“It’s almost eerie. People come along, and it really makes you believe in a higher power,” Soffer said.
On July 7, 2009, UST Service Learning Program hosted a reception for the three “shepherds,” who were in Houston for their Language Enrichment Program training at the Neuhaus Center.
The $11,000 grant is a major support in the project, but Soffer knew that more funds were needed. The Neuhaus Center and Jamaica Foundation both fundraised, and the Foundation contributed around $6,000 to the project. The Center has given $3,000 and expects to donate more by hosting an art exhibit fundraiser.
The Neuhaus Center is co-sponsoring the grand opening for Willard Wigan’s exhibit at the Gremillion & Co. Gallery at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. The Jamaican-English artist battled with undiagnosed dyslexia as a child, but with the help of his Jamaican mother, he found a passion for unique art. He is a micro-sculptor; his sculptures fit in the eye of a needle and on the tips of pins. His exhibit will run from Oct. 4 – Nov. 10. Proceeds from the grand opening will go to the Jamaica Dyslexia Intervention Teacher Training.
“Everyone wanted it to happen,” said Russanne Kelley, president and CEO of Houston’s Neuhaus Center. “Randy didn’t get discouraged; he just preserved until the project became a reality.”
 To ensure success, the 24 Jamaican teachers will receive continual support services from the Neuhaus Center, the trainers and the “shepherds.” The Center’s Web site offers online lesson plans and instructions, and the teachers will have periodic visits from the “shepherds” throughout the school year.
The University of St. Thomas will evaluate Jamaican student participants before and after the program to show the students’ reactions to the intervention program. Soffer hopes to get the future Jamaica study abroad students involved with the project.
“If we find that the project is success, we will want to expand it in Jamaica and get additional funds for additional training,” Soffer said. “This is a pilot project to see if this can be used in another developing country. It also shows a commitment of the University to better the international community.”
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