Literacy Heroes Podcast

Debra Levy: Winning Dyslexia Services at School, and the Law Every Parent Should Know

Literacy Heroes Podcast November 2025 38 min listen

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About this episode

Debra Levy is a parent advocate and Certified Academic Language Therapist who helped reshape how her Texas school district identified and taught students with dyslexia. In this conversation she moves the focus from one family’s experience to the system itself — why state laws fail without trained people to carry them out, and how parents can change that.

She walks through the practical tools every family should know, from Section 504 to the Child Find mandate, and explains why she believes private-school vouchers can quietly strip away a child’s strongest legal protections.

In this episode

  • Why systemic change matters more than every family fighting alone
  • How Section 504 can open the door to services before a child fails
  • What the Child Find mandate requires of every public school
  • How parents can organize locally through PTA and parent networks
  • The resources Levy recommends first (IDA, ALTA, your state dyslexia handbook)
  • Why she cautions families about private-school vouchers and lost protections
“Data is your friend. It’s one hundred percent your friend.” — Debra Levy

About Debra Levy

Debra Levy came to dyslexia advocacy from two directions: a legal and corporate background, and graduate training as a Certified Academic Language Therapist at Southern Methodist University. After her own children were identified with dyslexia, she turned her energy toward changing the system — leading a state-mandated dyslexia parent advisory group and helping reform how her district identified and taught dyslexic students. She now helps other parents do the same.

Episode chapters

Jump straight to any moment on YouTube:

  • 0:00Series welcome and mission — reframing dyslexia as a difference in how the brain learns.
  • 0:37Introducing Debra Levy and the shift from individual struggle to the education system.
  • 1:17A childhood curiosity about why some classmates could not learn to read.
  • 3:22Graduate training in dyslexia therapy at SMU.
  • 3:57An early flag at preschool, and a parent’s advocacy begins.
  • 4:47The first school meeting: invoking Section 504.
  • 6:19Observing and reforming how the district delivered instruction.
  • 9:09What true systems change actually looks like.
  • 11:52How accountability testing turned skeptics into believers.
  • 15:34District-wide parent education programming.
  • 17:12How parents can organize locally.
  • 19:52Key resources: IDA, ALTA, and state law.
  • 25:55Budget cuts and shrinking federal protections.
  • 28:44Mapping power: who actually can make the change.
  • 29:47Reasons for hope: technology and public awareness.
  • 33:59How privatization threatens dyslexia protections.
  • 36:22Child Find: your strongest legal tool.

Resources mentioned in this episode

  • International Dyslexia Association (IDA) — research, fact sheets, and local branches.
  • Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA) — directory of certified academic language therapists.
  • Understood.org — plain-language guides for parents of children who learn differently.
  • Your state dyslexia handbook (in Texas, the Texas Dyslexia Handbook) — the identification and service rules your district must follow.
  • Federal protections discussed: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Child Find mandate under IDEA.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Child Find mandate?

Child Find is a federal requirement under IDEA that every public school must proactively identify and evaluate any child it has reason to suspect has a disability, from roughly age three through graduation. Parents do not have to wait for the school to act, and the child does not have to be failing first. The protection applies only to public schools; private schools, including those funded by vouchers, have no equivalent duty.

Do private schools have to screen for or remediate dyslexia?

No. Private schools are not legally required to screen for, identify, or remediate dyslexia, even when they receive public voucher funds. Debra Levy cautions that families drawn to private schools by smaller class sizes may unknowingly trade away strong public-school protections like Section 504 and Child Find. Before enrolling, ask whether the school employs certified dyslexia instructors and can show a documented, sequential intervention program.

What is Section 504 and how does it relate to dyslexia?

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protects students with disabilities, including dyslexia, and can provide accommodations and services without requiring a child to fail first. Texas historically placed dyslexia under Section 504 specifically to avoid a wait-to-fail discrepancy model, enabling earlier identification and support.

How can parents start advocating for dyslexia services in their district?

Levy recommends finding other affected families through school pickup and PTA, comparing stories to reveal systemic patterns, studying state and federal law, identifying who actually holds the power to make the change, and then approaching district leadership as a collaborative partner rather than an adversary.

What resources does Debra Levy recommend for parents new to dyslexia advocacy?

She points parents to the International Dyslexia Association (IDA), the Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA) therapist directory, their state dyslexia handbook, and Understood.org as foundational starting points.

The Literacy Heroes Podcast shares the experiences and views of our guests. This episode reflects Debra Levy’s perspective and is general information for parents, not legal advice. For guidance on your specific situation, consult a qualified advocate or attorney in your state.