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Health & Fitness

Carleton to Host Public Screening of Acclaimed HBO Documentary Film, "The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia"

Carleton to host public screening of acclaimed HBO documentary film, "The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia"

The Carleton College chapter of "Eye to Eye" has partnered with HBO to host a public screening of "The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia" at the Weitz Center for Creativity Cinema on Monday, February 4 at 7 p.m. Dyslexia is one of the most common learning differences (affecting one in five children) yet it is also one of the most misunderstood. Dyslexics are bright students who happen to struggle with reading. An official selection at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival,"The Big Picture" was directed by James Redford. The New York Times says the film "busts any preconceptions about limits on what people with dyslexia can achieve." This important film screening will be following by a discussion led by members of "Eye to Eye." The public is encouraged to attend this free event.

"The Big Picture" follows a dyslexic high school student who pursues admission to a leading college—a challenge for a boy who didn't learn to read until 4th grade. The film depicts the dyslexic experience through the eyes of children, experts, and iconic leaders at the top of their fields. "The Big Picture" demonstrates how dyslexia, a persistent problem with learning to read, can be as great a gift as it is sometimes an obstacle.

Eye to Eye is the only national after-school mentoring program that pairs kids with learning disabilities (LD) and ADHD with college and high school students who have been similarly labeled. Using an arts-based curriculum, Eye to Eye helps these kids to value their own unique minds by building their self-esteem and giving them the skills to become self-advocates.

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Eye to Eye creates a safe environment in which highly-trained college and high school student mentors work with their mentees over the school year to complete art projects together. These projects are designed by professional artists who also have LD/ ADHD and are specifically geared towards helping kids with LD/ADHD to develop their strengths, understand their weaknesses, manage their expectations, and most importantly, build their self-esteem.

Eye to Eye mentors are not tutors but instead act as role models and provide a safe, fun, and empowering community for kids labeled with LD/ADHD.

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The Eye to Eye Carleton Chapter was founded in 2006 and is currently supported by student coordinators, Sarah Carter '13 (Mukilteo, Wash.), Arielle Koshkin '14 (Oakland, Calif.), and Schuyler Rowe '14 (New York). Additional supporters include Lisa Malecha, Eye to Eye Mentee Coordinator and Arcadia Charter School Social Worker, and Andy Christiansen, Eye to Eye Faculty Coordinator and Carleton College Coordinator of Disability Services. Every Thursday trained Carleton College mentors visit Arcadia Charter School (formerly ARTech Charter School) and, using an art-based curriculum, help kids with LD and ADHD embrace their abilities, value their own unique minds, build their self-esteem, and learn the skills to become self-advocates.

For more information about Eye to Eye, visit their website at www.eyetoeyenational.org. A trailer for "The Big Picture" can be viewed online at www.thebigpicturemovie.com.

For more information about this event, including disability accommodations, please call (507) 222-4192. The Weitz Center for Creativity is located at the corner of Third and College Streets in Northfield.

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