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Dyslexic Teen Shares the Gift of Reading

Categories: Learning Disabilities

Dyslexic teen Skye Malik reading while listening to an audiobook. When some people find success, they feel inspired to pay it forward. This was the case for Manhattan-based, dyslexic teen Skye Malik, who started a fundraising initiative she titled The Paco Project. Aiming to raise over $25k in donations, Skye's goal is to provide accessible, human-read audiobooks from Learning Ally to students in New York City. She named the project in honor of her grandfather, Leo "Paco" Corey, who struggled with dyslexia for 80 years, the whole time never telling his friends, coworkers, or even his wife about his reading troubles. When Skye was diagnosed with dyslexia in the 2nd grade, the similarities clicked for Paco and he realized he, too, was dyslexic.
Skye says, "Homework would take me twice as long as my friends, and I was so discouraged and frustrated. I didn't know how to deal with it. Then in 4th grade my teacher told me about Learning Ally and it changed my life."
[caption id="attachment_22835" align="alignleft" width="300"]Dyslexic teen Skye Malik with Paco. Skye with her grandfather, Paco.[/caption]

Skye began listening to her assigned reading in audiobook format and was soon excelling in her classes, a superb  turnaround from when she could barely keep up with her peers. "I can be independent now and I want other kids to feel empowered, just as I do," she says.

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We're happy to report that Skye was successful in raising $25k, which will go towards helping children throughout New York City who struggle with reading.