Impact of Dyslexia and Health Literacy on Racial and Gender Disparity in the Incarcerated Population

Abstract

Dyslexia is the most common learning disability and involves difficulty in reading, writing, and spelling in your native language despite at least average intelligence. A disproportionate share of incarcerated individuals have both dyslexia and are African American. Behavior manifestations associated with dyslexia often lead to life choices resulting in incarceration. Dyslexia is rarely considered as playing a role in unemployment, drug misuse, and incarceration. Dyslexia screening upon prison admission permits identification of individuals with dyslexia and allows for specialized reading classes to boost self-esteem and develop a skill set that is desirable in the workforce upon release. Dyslexia should be recognized as a social determinant of health whose early recognition and intervention may engender self-confidence in those affected and encourage them to be positively engaged in society.