Dear Dyslexia Project plastering Capitol with postcards with a message
The Capitol is about to be plastered with postcards — some drawn by celebrities including Alyssa Milano, Olympic diver Greg Louganis and “Justice League” director Zack Snyder — as part of an art exhibit with a message.
The goal of the global art campaign, dubbed the Dear Dyslexia Project, is to “change perceptions of dyslexia and inspire lawmakers to champion policy changes that support students with dyslexia,” according to organizers.
The effort features the illustrations of more than 1,000 students, leaders and performers who were asked to put on a postcard one word that best describes their experience with dyslexia.
The most common words chosen by the participants include: superpower, hard, different and creative.
In her rainbow-colored postcard, former “Charmed” star Milano wrote, “Dyslexia helps me see things that other people cannot see.”
Snyder described dyslexia as “a point of view,” drawing an image of a squid.
The project is poised to be unveiled on Tuesday morning in room 2044 at the Rayburn House Office Building at an event with Dear Dyslexia creator Gil Gershoni, Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) and dyslexia advocates, hosted by Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), the co-chair of the Congressional Dyslexia Caucus.
Other postcards include the artwork of children’s authors Dav Pilkey, Sally Gardner and Carmen Agra Deedy, Nobel Prize winner Jacques Dubochet and comedian Liz Miele.
“Our goal is to get lawmakers to think about a more complex definition of dyslexia. Yes, dyslexia makes a few things — like reading and writing — more challenging,” Gershoni told ITK in a statement.
"But it also supercharges our abilities in other areas. In many ways, it’s a hyper-ability," Gershoni said.