Honored for Outstanding Community Service

As is customary at the annual meeting, IDA NorCal honored two individuals for their extraordinary efforts to improve the lives of those with dyslexia.

Education advocacy attorney Deborah Jacobson and Decoding Dyslexia CA Co-Director Lori DePole

Attorney Deborah Jacobson, founder of Jacobson Education Law and co-founder and executive legal director of California Education Justice Alliance,  was recognized for her tireless efforts to obtain appropriate services for students struggling with reading. Jacobson served pro bono as lead plaintiff counsel in a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of children with reading disabilities against Berkeley Unified School District. A settlement, reached in 2021, is leading to major, evidence-based changes to how the district addresses reading interventions and the elementary reading curriculum.

Lori DePole, a past IDA Nor Cal board member, was honored for her work as co-director of Decoding Dyslexia CA (DDCA). DePole worked with DDCA to achieve passage of a legislative bill mandating dyslexia screening in California schools, a feat accomplished over the course of several years through many legislative challenges.  A former tech executive, DePole became interested in literacy challenges through her work with foster children. She subsequently became a structured-literacy tutor and continues her advocacy work on behalf of struggling readers.

Thank you to both these amazing women for all they continue to do for our community!