Homeless solutions require smart funding<\/p>\n
Scott Maxwell is right that solving the homelessness crisis requires both affordable housing and good wages (\u201cOrlando, Vegas lead housing shortage,\u201d May 6)<\/a>. I also agree with Zeynep Portway, the executive director of Samaritan Resource Center in East Orlando, that defunding or forcing to relocate the center wouldn\u2019t reduce homelessness (\u201cWe can\u2019t solve homelessness by moving it out of sight,\u201d May 3)<\/a>.<\/p>\n Facilities that assist the homeless deserve more, not less, assistance. In particular, I agree with the idea that the government should assist the homeless by providing them jobs \u2014 even jobs in the service industry or helping to beautify Orlando \u2014 and provide treatment to those who have mental or substance abuse problems.<\/p>\n The bottom line is that our society needs funding to solve the problem of homelessness, as well as other problems. We can find that funding through fair progressive taxation; those who earn more should pay more, not less taxes, to fund these solutions.<\/p>\n \u2014 Susan Talana Harris, Orlando<\/p>\n How we talk about dyslexia<\/p>\n Thank you to the Orlando Sentinel for publishing Ann Bullock\u2019s commentary (\u201cOne in five children has dyslexia. All five deserve better,\u201d April 26)<\/a>, which highlights an important truth: dyslexia is not a deficit, but a different (and often powerful) way of thinking.<\/p>\n While the article references Roberts Academy in Lakeland, many may not realize that Orlando is home to the only Orton-Gillingham Academy accredited program in Florida, and one of only 20 in the country. At The Bridge at The Christ School, we have seen firsthand how a specialized, prescriptive and diagnostic approach to literacy can change a child\u2019s trajectory.<\/p>\n Equally important is how we talk about dyslexia. When students are taught how their brains work, they begin to understand themselves in a new way \u2014 not as struggling learners, but as capable thinkers with unique strengths. By cultivating abilities like problem-solving, creativity and big-picture thinking, we begin to tap into what many describe as the \u201csuperpowers\u201d of the dyslexic mind.<\/p>\n This is about more than one program or one school. It is about continuing to shift the narrative so that all children with dyslexia are understood, supported, and given the tools to succeed.<\/p>\n Our community is speaking up \u2014 and that matters.<\/p>\n \u2014 Alissa Plaisance, Orlando<\/p>\n Alissa Plaisance is interim Head of School at The Christ School in Orlando.<\/p>\n The right to protest is American<\/p>\n