Jonathan Mooney, an education advocate, spoke at the Luhrs Center on Sept. 17 to tell his story about struggling with education due to learning disabilities, and how he is advocating for change.
Jonathan Mooney was not like other kids. He struggled with dyslexia and attention deficit disorder (ADD), and he was always told he was the problem. He eventually dropped out of school at age 12.
He was told he would not graduate high school, would not find a good job and would end up in prison.
Today, Mooney is a college graduate of the Honors Program at Brown University, an author of multiple books, an entrepreneur and an advocate for better educational practices.
He has delivered speeches in forty-nine states and five countries, with audiences ranging from kindergarten classes to Ivy League professors.
Mooney spoke to a large crowd of teachers and students at Shippensburg University. He discussed his life experiences through dropping out of school, considering suicide and finding his way through life.
“I didn’t overcome dyslexia. I overcame being made to feel stupid because I learned differently,” Mooney said during his speech.
The purpose of the speech was to not only share Mooney’s personal struggles, but to both uplift students and provide educators with strategies on how to best support their students.
After his presentation, Mooney opened the mic up to the audience to ask him questions.
Multiple students who were education majors, along with current educators, asked questions on Mooney’s accommodations in college. They also asked him what he would go back and tell his 12-year-old self now.
In closing, Mooney said, “This is an all-win moment to believe in the potential of every single human being to be an advocate for every single human being’s right to learn differently.”
The event was sponsored by the Department of English; Interdisciplinary Minor in Disability Studies; Office of Inclusion, Belonging, and Social Equity; and the Office of Accessibility Resources.
For more information about Jonathon Mooney, check out his website at https://www.jonathanmooney.com/.
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