IN GRATITUDE
I am grateful to the families, students, teachers, and schools that I have worked with over the years. They are my source of inspiration to keep trying to do better every day so that everyone might reach their potential and follow their dreams.
Christine van de Vijsel (M.Ed., Certified Reading Clinician, C/OGA) has played a pivotal role in my professional journey. She has been an incredible source of knowledge and encouragement.
I would like to pay homage and acknowledge her as a formidable force and advocate for the success of all Manitoba students and especially those with dyslexia. I will be forever grateful to her for her continuous support and guidance.
Dawn Nieman (M.Ed., ATF/OGA) has been mentoring and guiding my professional journey for years. I will be forever grateful for her never-ending dedication to support me towards becoming a Fellow and the million tiny steps to get me there!
To see her professional work:
My Orton-Gillingham Lineage
History of International Dyslexia Association (Dr. Orton and Mrs. June Orton - Orton Society)
History of Dr.Orton and Anna Gillingham - OGA
Dr. Orton - Historical Perspective - OGA
Helene Durbrow In 1950, Kildonan co-founder and visionary Diana Hanbury King came to this country from England. She began teaching at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC. At the time, this was one of only a few schools that had a program for dyslexic students under the aegis of Anna Gillingham. The program was directed by Helene Durbrow, who had been trained by Dr. Samuel Orton. With encouragement from Dr. Orton, Helene Durbrow had opened Camp Mansfield, a summer program for dyslexic students in Vermont. Mrs. King, after being personally trained by Anna Gillingham herself, spent several summers teaching there and in due course was inspired to found her own camp, named Dunnabeck, in Western Pennsylvania.
Diana Hanbury King A Founding Fellow of the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners & Educators and a member of the International Dyslexia Association (formerly known as the Orton Dyslexia Society) since 1951, Diana received the New York Branch Annual Award (1985), the Samuel T. Orton Award (1990), and the Margaret Byrd Rawson Lifetime Achievement Award (2013) for her work on the national level. In 2016, she received the National Teachers Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award, only the second time in 25 years that they have bestowed this honor.
Dawn Nieman - Dawn has been trained and mentored under Diana Hanbury King at the Kildonan School.
Dr. Valdine Björnson - Valdine has been trained and mentored under Dawn Nieman.