For Immediate Release



AFRICAN AMERICAN LEARNING DIFFERENCES ORGANIZATION CHANGES COURSE AS A RESULT OF INSUFFICIENT FUNDING

 

COLUMBUS, OH, DECEMBER 22, 2014 - Effective January 1, 2015, the National Association for the Education of African American Children with Learning Differences (AACLD), which has for many years been the only organizational voice and advocate of its kind, will no longer provide the majority of its programs and services due to insufficient funding. However, lower cost functions, such as the AACLD website, will remain in place throughout the next year (2015) with periodic updates.

 

The AACLD Founder as well as the members of the Board of Trustees are disappointed by the need to take this action, which dramatically reduces the organization's activities, but will continue to look for funding sources for the future. 

 

"Not since Brown vs. the Board of Education (1954) has there been any other time in history that our children have suffered more than they do today in a broken public school system. The need for advocacy is still as strong as ever," stated Nancy Tidwell, AACLD Founder and President.

 

"The proper education of African American children continues to be a challenge for the best of parents. When we factor in cultural differences in a society that is dominated by one cultural perspective, we must encourage parents to not only continue to support their children in the schools they currently attend but also fight for their right to attend a school that is not failing," stated Linda James Myers, Ph.D., Chair of the Board of Trustees.

 

"We can no longer expect that others will do this for us. We can and must advocate for our children and demand the allocation of resources necessary to make it happen," Myers further stated.

 

While this action ends 15 years of resource and referral service and training provided by the AACLD to African American families and community leaders nationwide, the decision will be revisited if new opportunities for supporting the organization are identified in the next 12 months.

 

In the meantime, parents are encouraged to watch for further updates, helpful resources, and a new website beginning early next year. Potential funders interested in helping to further the organization's mission and the provision of its services to a population often ignored, are encouraged to reach out to the organization in the coming year. 

 

The AACLD (www.aacld.org) was organized in 2000. It is the only national organization that focuses solely on the education of African American children with learning disabilities and learning differences.

 

For more information, contact Nancy Tidwell at (614) 237-6021 or [email protected].

 

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