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Page 4 Natick Local Town Pages www.localtownpages.com November 2018 Irlen Syndrome Comes Into the Light by Amy Mevorach A visual processing disability known as Irlen Syndrome is not commonly known, though it occurs frequently and can have debilitating symptoms. Irlen Syndrome is a light sensitivity to certain colors of light waves, and symptoms manifest in a variety of ways, such as dizziness, headaches or, when reading, a perception that words on the page are moving or blurred. A simulation of what text might look like to a person with Irlen Syndrome can be viewed on the website, irlen.com. As part of International Irlen Awareness Week, Dorie Cameron and her colleagues at ISAM organized a drop-in event at the Morse Institute Public Library on October 13. Julie Sacchetti, MS, Sherri L. Schultz, M. Ed., and Tracy Bowman, and Dorie Cameron are co-chairs of the volunteer organization ISAM, the Irlen Syndrome Association of Massachusetts. The event offered food, activities for kids, and raffles to raise money for research, screening and lenses for localtownpages Published Monthly Mailed FREE to the Community of Natick Circulation: 15,300 households & businesses Publisher Chuck Tashjian Editorial Kelly McDaniel Send Editorial to: editor@naticktownnews.com people in Massachusetts. Insurance does not yet cover the cost of Irlen support. “The solution is simple,” said Cameron. “Color.” Color overlays tailored to each person filter the visual stimuli that otherwise would overwhelm the brain. Helen Irlen, an educator, therapist, and scholar, recognized in her research that children and adults with learning and reading disabilities greatly improved their competency when the reading material was covered with colored acetate sheets. Now there are more than 170 affiliated Irlen Clinics, and at least 10,000 educators trained in Irlen Method. Many schools include Irlen testing in their regular student screenings. If Irlen screenings were implemented in all Massachusetts schools, Cameron said, “it would save the state $67 million per year in special ed costs.” Cameron has received training as a screener for Irlen Syndrome. In severe cases, she will refer a patient to an Irlen diagnostician for custom lenses. Irlen is a hereditary disorder which can also result from concussion or traumatic brain injury. “It is not detected by eye doctors, special education screenings or IEP (Individualized Education Program). Some people think it’s not real,” said Cameron. Brooke Lyons, a special education teacher who has been diagnosed with Irlen Syndrome herself, received colored lenses. “This has changed my entire Brooke Lyons, Trace Bowman, and Dorie Cameron life,” she said. “I’ve always had extreme light sensitivity and no depth perception. As a child, I received intervention for reading. Everything took so much more effort.” Optometrists found nothing wrong with her vision, but following her Irlen diagnosis, she gained depth perception. “When I hike, I have to stop and look because it’s so spectacular. It’s like seeing for the first time. I can’t believe color can change my world.” Having witnessed transformations such as Lyons’, Cameron is passionate about promoting awareness. She speaks at schools and other venues to educate and advocate for Irlen interventions. Schools have not yet integrated Irlen into routine testing. “We are lobbying,” said Cameron, “and are looking for grassroots supports of parents to have it become routine testing for students in the state. In 2008, one school conducted a research study on Irlen Syndrome and a large percentage of students were removed from special ed classes. Cameron and her husband, Rick Felty, have authored a children’s book called “Super Color Rangers,” in which four children use color to battle villains who embody some of the challenges of the syndrome. “It is a gentle way to introduce the concept and treatment,” Cameron said. Sales from the book raise money for Irlen Syndrome Association. If you would like more information or to schedule a screening, email irlenworks@gmail. com or call (508) 872-1010 extension 101. Advertising Sales Manager Lori Koller Production & Layout Susan Dunne Michelle McSherry Advertising Department 508-934-9608 Lorikoller@localtownpages.com Ad Deadline is the 15th of each month. Localtownpages assumes no financial liability for errors or omissions in printed advertising and reserves the right to reject/edit advertising or editorial submissions. © Copyright 2018 LocalTownPages can save you 30 % or more
November 2018 Natick Local Town Pages www.localtownpages.com Page 5 Women Playwrights Raise “Our Voices” by Amy Mevorach For the past twelve years, the ‘Our Voices’ playwriting festival has supported women playwrights in gestating and producing plays, poems, and monologues by offering a day of workshops and performances at no cost. Occuring annually in September, the festival has been hosted, for most of the twelve years, by the Ruth Nagel Jones Theatre of Wellesley College. “Nora Hussey, and now Marta Rainer, have been a huge support by making the theatre available to us for the whole day,” said Kelly DuMar, playwright, poet, educator, and founder of “Our Voices.” DuMar started the festival in 2007 to spotlight dramatic works written by women. “It was an act of self-care,” she said. Finding a lack of supportive collaboration in her work life, she created that environment for herself and other women. “Creating and producing ‘Our Voices’ has been my way of honing my vision of what I have to offer as an artist, producer, and leader – to share the truth and beauty of women’s stories, help women develop as artists and human beings, and to take action against a producing culture where women’s voices have been historically under-represented on stage. Our perspectives, vision and experiences are missing from so much of our cultural history.” This year the festival was held on Sunday, September 30. The afternoon was dedicated to sharing monologues and ten-minute plays in a workshop setting. In the evening, a reception with refreshments preceded performances of eight short plays or monologues by women. This year’s performances featured an adult incest survivor trying to heal her own blocked sexual urges, a conversation between a pregnant woman and a mother about breast feeding, and a monologue of an ancient stone sculpture come to life to celebrate the divinely feminine vulva as the source of women’s creativity and power. DuMar contributed a monologue, performed by her daughter, Francie, about an actor who shifts the power dynamics between actor and director at an audition. The ‘Our Voices’ festival clears a space for these subjects to emerge artistically on the stage. “Clearly, women’s writing vision, voice and story were being under-selected in festivals open to both male and female playwrights. A festival of exclusively women’s voices seemed logical to counterbalance the trend of over-selecting male voices,” said DuMar. In the midst of a difficult week for survivors of sexual trauma, DuMar incited empowerment. “It felt like an assertive act, seizing a stage, using our voices and imaginations to take a stand against a clique of entitled white male ‘gatekeepers’ who wield their political power with a manipulative, exploitive self-interest: Reuse. Recycle. Rock. You cannot silence women. A poet friend of mine, a male, told me when he arrived, ‘I can think of no better place to be after a week like this.’” “Our Voices” models collaboration versus competition, and is an all volunteer production. “To be a truly inclusive event, it’s important to break down barriers to participation, both for the writers and for the audience. By making it a free, educational, community event, everyone profits,” said DuMar. Many of the short plays and monologues first presented at Our Voices go on to have full productions in Boston theatres and beyond, as well as publications with dramatic publishers. “The most satisfying aspect of ‘Our Voices’ playwrights and poets, every year, is the spirit of creativity and collaboration, respect and fascination they bring,” said DuMar, “and the power and satisfaction of expressing it in a place where they feel heard. I’m pleased to say we’ve achieved this EVERY year.” Guitars • Drums • Keys • Horns • DJ and more We Buy Used Gear | Lessons | Repairs Route 9 Natick MusicGoRoundBoston.com 508-647-6874 Personalized pediatric care in a warm and welcoming setting Same day urgent visits every day (including weekends and holidays) Access to a doctor 24 hours a day and 365 days a year Minimal to no wait times Unique offerings such as newborn home visit and group well child visits Accepting new patients, Accept most insurance plans Ashley Ferullo, MD We beat ALL competitor pricing. 774-287-1133 Dumpsters AvAilAble let us CleAn Out YOur unwAnteD Junk Serving Metro-West and Beyond! $25 off a full truck or dumpster if you mention the local town pages Not to be combined with any other offer Rebecca Piekarski, MD see website fOr DetAils Michael McKenzie, MD McKenzie Pediatrics 218 North Main Street Natick, MA 01760 508-647-4955 Fax: 508-647-4956 www.mckenziepediatrics.com $299 15 Yard Dumpster Not to be combined with any other offer AffordableJunkRemoval@gmail.com www.TakeAwayJunk.com
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