Though scientists first identified dyslexia over a century ago, politicians, parents, and educators still struggle to teach students that suffer from it. In the English-speaking world, dyslexia has become a great unequalizer, pushing those with means into lucrative careers, and those without to the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder. But as technology mediates and alters how we read, it could level the economic playing field.
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Featuring
Kira Bindrim is the host of the Quartz Obsession podcast. She is an executive editor who works on global newsroom coverage and email products. She is obsessed with reading and reality TV.
Katherine Bell is an editorial advisor at Quartz. She is obsessed with fiction, medicine, and the future of capitalism.
Show notes
1896, W Pringle Morgan’s study on Percy F
Samuel Orton, Anna Gillingham, the Orton-Gillingham system for teaching reading
2007 study, 35% of US entrepreneurs are dyslexic (pdf)
Dyslexia affects 20% of the population
1996 study into link between unhoused population and dyslexia
2000 study into prevalence of dyslexia among Texas inmates
2020 study, economic impact of dyslexia on California (pdf)
This episode uses the following sounds from freesound.org:
Writing_Pen_01.wav by moai15
Page Turn – Please Turn Over (PTO) – paper_turn_over.wav by flag2
spring synths by oddsamples