21st Century Dyslexia Act
Bill: S.3302 | Sponsor: Sen. Cassidy, Bill (R-LA)
Policy area: Education

Summary:
21st Century Dyslexia Act
This bill addresses the education of children with disabilities, with a particular focus on children with dyslexia.
Currently, dyslexia is listed as one of the disabilities under the definition of specific learning disability in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This bill instead removes dyslexia from the definition of specific learning disability and establishes a stand-alone definition for dyslexia within IDEA.
Specifically, the bill defines dyslexia for purposes of IDEA as an unexpected difficulty in reading for an individual who has the intelligence to be a much better reader, most commonly caused by a difficulty in the phonological processing (the appreciation of the individual sounds of spoken language), which affects the ability of an individual to speak, read, and spell.
Additionally, the bill requires a local educational agency or other agency, in determining eligibility for or providing an accommodation or service under IDEA, to provide equal access to (1) children from low-income families or from families with low socioeconomic status, and (2) other children.

To amend the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to improve 
        provisions relating to dyslexia, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``21st Century Dyslexia Act''.

SEC. 2. DYSLEXIA.

    (a) Definitions.--Section 602 of the Individuals with Disabilities 
Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1401) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (3)(A), by striking ``or specific learning 
        disabilities'' and inserting ``dyslexia, or specific learning 
        disabilities'';
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
            ``(4) Dyslexia.--The term `dyslexia' means an unexpected 
        difficulty in reading for an individual who has the 
        intelligence to be a much better reader, most commonly caused 
        by a difficulty in the phonological processing (the 
        appreciation of the individual sounds of spoken language), 
        which affects the ability of an individual to speak, read, and 
        spell.''; and
            (3) in paragraph (30)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``dyslexia,''; 
                and
                    (B) in subparagraph (C)--
                            (i) by striking ``or of'' and inserting 
                        ``of''; and
                            (ii) by inserting before the period the 
                        following: ``, or of dyslexia''.
    (b) Provision of Accommodations and Services.--The Individuals with 
Disabilities Education Act is amended by inserting after section 608 
(20 U.S.C. 1407) the following:

``SEC. 608A. PROVISION OF ACCOMMODATIONS AND SERVICES.

    ``In determining eligibility for, or providing, an accommodation or 
service under this title, a local educational agency or other agency 
shall provide equal access, to the accommodation or service, to--
            ``(1) children from low-income families or from families 
        with low socioeconomic status; and
            ``(2) other children.''.
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