Please join us at Wakeman Town Farm in Tim’s Kitchen on 10.27 @ 6:30 pm to view a feature documentary directed by Anna Toomey, “Left Behind” a documentary on Dyslexia. Following the film there will be a discussion panel with dyslexia learning specialist Ilse Werther, and Jessica Saslow.
"Left Behind" tells the powerful story of a group of passionate mothers who unite to create the first public dyslexic school in New York City, the largest school district in the country.
Dyslexia impacts one in five children worldwide, yet while 20% of the population has this learning difference, a staggering 48% of incarcerated individuals are dyslexic. Families without financial means often lack access to essential testing and tailored curricula that their children desperately need. In a city like New York, where 70% of students are Black and Brown, around 200,000 children are left without the support they need to thrive. Kareem Weaver, who heads the Education Committee for the NAACP in Oakland, CA, and a key figure in our film, calls this the defining civil rights issue of our time.
Dyslexia is not a barrier to success; many high-profile dyslexics—including 35% of entrepreneurs, filmmakers, musicians, and actors—prove that. Their unique brain wiring can hinder letter recognition but enhance creativity, risk-taking, and innovative thinking. This film emphasizes the loss of potential brilliance and showcases a group of mothers fighting for equality in our education system. We aim to spark outrage, inspire hope, and ignite a desire for action among viewers.
Anna Toomey, an independent filmmaker who started her career as an Emmy Award-winning producer for ABC News, Good Morning America, ABC News long-form unit, and Peter Jennings Reporting. Anna developed and directed her first feature-length independent documentary, Left Behind, after her son was diagnosed with dyslexia, and she discovered the inadequate resources for millions of children across the country.
Following the film we will have Ilse Werther a dyslexia learning specialist, certified advocate and a parent of a child with dyslexia from LGR Learning Group to lead a discussion panel on how families can find support for dyslexia. Additionally, we will have Jessica Saslow in attendance who is a speech language pathologist and reading expert.