University Daily Kansan
Friday, March 31, 1978
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Staff Photo by DONALD WALLER
Special reader
Tolle McCullain, Lawrence freshman, concentrates on one of her reading assignments with the aid of a tape recorder in Watson Library. She will work with Ms. Coyne and Mr.
school, it was discovered last spring that McCalla's reading problem dyslexia—the inability to read more than a few lines of text was a problem.
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Attending college was something, Toni McCalla, Lawrence freshman, had always wanted to do but never seriously considered because she knew she couldn't read.
Staff Writer
By SUZANNE BURDICK
McCalla, 24, who grew up in Garrett, said that during grade school and high school she was reprimanded by her parents and teachers for being lazy, for not living up to her potential and for not really trying to learn to read.
Dyslexia not a deterrent
HE SAID THAT she could read short, easy articles and ones with large print and narrow columns. "But it takes so much concentration to read that I can't comprehend."
McCalla said that an early IQ test had indicated to her teachers that she should be in the class.
It wasn't until last spring that McCalla's reading problem was diagnosed as dyslexia. Dyslexia is defined as the inability to read more than a few lines with understanding.
"It's not really related to the field of vision," McCalla explained. "It's how the visual message transmits to or is perceived by the brain."
To a person with this specific language learning disability, words and letters may appear to be written in reverse, such as was written on the page above; they will be jumbled in a sentence, McCalla said.
She said that she had to take summer
Main Lobby, Booth No.1
After high school, which she completed a year early despite her handicap, McCalla said she went to beauty and worked at beauty for six months, but never really liked it.
Orders taken April 3-28 Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
McCALLA, WHO IS pursuing an undergraduate degree in environmental design, said that she was able to obtain many of the textbooks she needed from Recordings for the Blind in New York through the Library of Congreas.
However, several of the books she needed, especially in art and architecture, have been made available.
Kansas City Graduates place orders at the Medical Center Bookstore, Student Union Building
applying for state aid and obtaining books for the blind for her courses.
McCallain said that after an eye surgeon had diagnosed her reading problem as dyslexia and had suggested she get books blind, that she thought about going to college.
"There haven't been many visually handicapped people who would be looking at this."
For those textbooks that haven't been recorded on tape, McCalla said she had to record them at a studio.
McCalla said she had read in the enrollment information from the University of Kansas that provided services for persons with disabilities.
She sends one copy to the Braille Association of Kansas in Wichita for co-authoring a book. When she then sends it to a reader to tape. The reader sends the tape back to the association, which puts it on a cassette and sends it to the author. The author takes six to eight weeks. McCailla said.
SHE BEGAN A VISUAL therapy program, she said, which didn't help her reading at all and gave her bad headaches. She was also lost to anything in school, but just listened carefully.
McCalla said that at the end of her sophomore year, doctors discovered that she had a problem with crossed eyes and it would likely be contribute to her inability to read.
"IT WAS A WEEK before midterms this semester before I had any of my talking books for my history of architecture class," McCalla said.
"Finally, by the time I was in high school, I decided that if everybody had to work this hard to read, and they were doing it, then I would use it. Because we don't go to do it (work any harder)."
reading courses every year from the time she was in second grade.
She said she began talking with Harlan Harber, assistant to the dean of men and women at the university.
She said she was already making out her course schedule for next fall. She has to find out what times the courses will be held, contact the appropriate teachers and get the books lists for each course so she can get the talking books in time for the fall semester.
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INTERNATIONAL CLUB of the University of Kansas
THE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
& Banquet of Nations
Exhibition Starts at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, April 2
Big Eight and Jayhawk Rooms Kansas Union
Performance at
Woodruff Auditorium at 7:00 p.m.
International dances slides, plays, movies fashion shows
Banquet of Nations
5:30 p.m. in K-Union Cafeteria, B-floor
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Tickets for Banquet $4.00 non-members, $3.50 members Tickets Available at SUA Office and sold at the door