There is no denying that the major focus of the Ricci vs. DeStefano case has been on race and affirmative action, particularly with Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court, as one of the justices ruling on the original appeals court. However, it is also a case concerning dyslexia and the struggles dyslexics go through in order to be successful.
The facts of the case are these: in 2003, New Haven instituted an exam for its firefighters to take in order to be promoted to the ranks of lieutenant or captain. Upon completion of the exam, the results were discarded by the city, due to the lack of racial diversity among the top candidates, who were almost exclusively white. These candidates initiated a reverse discrimination lawsuit, claiming that they were being barred from promotions they deserved due to their race.
The case and its resulting appeals has inflamed the media, particularly due to Ms. Sotomayor's role in the appeal, but its interest for us lies in the lead plaintiff, Firefighter Frank Ricci, who is dyslexic. Ricci, who contends that his fellow plaintiffs scored higher on the tests not because of race, but because of the work and study they put into preparing, has said that he studied for hours each day in preparation for the exam. He has also gone on the record saying that he paid someone to record the study materials to tape for him, so he could learn by listening. He ended up with the sixth highest score on the test, an impressive accomplishment by any means.
In the midst of all the negative attention the case has received, the commitment Ricci displayed and the work he put into preparing for a test that was likely much harder for a dyslexic than a non-dyslexic is impressive and deserves to be recognized as the achievement it is. For more information on the case and on Frank Ricci, you can find articles at the following links
My father a retired FDNY told me about Ricci years ago, when the case was heard by Sotomayor at the Appeal Court, How sad I was that day when I heard the courts' decision on the night news, I knew the Courts' and Society didn't hear about the Character Behaviors of Dyslexic Individuals and the Right we have to be Who we Are, the Best Dyslexia Thinkers we Could Be. Let's set things straight and Won big for All
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