Ella Sigander is an 8th grade student, who was diagnosed with the learning disability dyslexia in 2nd Grade. Ella faced difficulties at school with reading and writing. Unfortunately, she was bullied for her difference by her peers. Moreover, Ella also dealt with educators who did not understand dyslexia and lacked empathy. Her parents requested a 504 plan, which is a blueprint that supports a student with a disability and removes barriers to one’s learning, to assist Ella during school hours. Even though Ella was being supported with her 504 plan in place, Ella’s parents decided they would seek out additional ways to assist Ella with her dyslexia. 

With her parents persistence, Ella decided to try a new approach to tackle her dyslexia; this approach is called the Neural Organization Technique (NOT). NOT is a chiropractic-based technique, which primarily deals with identifying and correcting faults within the autonomic nervous system. After implementing this technique, Ella went back to school and her Lexile Measurement improved by three grade levels. Ella was experiencing positive results and her confidence skyrocketed. 

In the interview with our Different & Able President and Founder, Alexandra Nicklas, Ella eloquently shares her personal experiences with dyslexia. Ella is a role model and a huge source of encouragement for people with dyslexia and other differences. Describing her disorder, Ella has said, “I may never accept it, but it won’t define who I am.”