One afternoon, nearly two years ago, Caelin Sheehan ’17 grabbed her iPad and scrolled through her news feed. As she read various headlines, Sheehan stumbled across an article that grabbed her attention. It was an article focusing  on the READ Act: Research Excellence and Advancement for Dyslexia Act.

According to dyslexiaadvantage , “The READ Act requires the National Science Foundation to fund research into recognizing students with dyslexia, professional development for administrators of students with dyslexia, educational tools needed for children with dyslexia, and implementation and scaling of successful models of dyslexia intervention.”

After reading the article, Sheehan was convinced that she needed to follow up and advocate for this cause. She, among many young people, are affected by this disorder.   She decided to write then President Obama asking him to sign the Act. Obama, indeed, did sign the Act in  February 2016.

In her letter, Sheehan expressed her gratitude for his consideration of the Act and  urged him to sign.  In Dec. 2016, President Obama replied to her, thanking her for her keen interest in the needs of students with dyslexia.