Hall overcomes dyslexia to become second lieutenant

Diagnosed with dyslexia in middle school, Jackson State University student Louis Hall, a sophomore criminal justice major from Jackson, Miss., is being recognized for his outstanding work in military science and maintaining a 3.6 grade point average.

Hall will become a second lieutenant in the Army after graduation from Jackson State in a contracting ceremony to be held Feb. 11 in the College of Liberal Arts.

According to www.medicalnewstoday.com, dyslexia is a learning disability that alters the way the brain processes written material and is typically characterized by difficulties in word recognition, spelling and decoding. People with dyslexia have problems with reading comprehension.

“Growing up was kind of difficult when it came to class work,” said Hall. “I felt academically slower than the rest of my classmates.  I was really good at math, but when it came down to English, things were a little confusing for me.”

Disability Services and ADA Compliance at Jackson State provides reasonable accommodations to students and employees who qualify under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Each individual with a confirmed covered disability is enabled to an inclusive environment with equal access to all educational programs and university life.

“When we have students with dyslexia, we first have to find accommodations for them,” said Monica Jones, director of ADA and Disability Services. “These accommodations may include: multiple choice tests, a dictionary during test taking, private testing, providing students with tutors and mentors, and helping them reach their overall goal of career options or whatever they may want to achieve after graduating.”

Jones added, “We also educate dyslexic students on exactly what dyslexia is. Dyslexia is a general term for disorders that involve difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters and other symbols, but it does not affect the general intelligence of a person.”

Jones had very positive things to say about Hall and his accomplishments.

“He’s (Hall) really a joy to have as a student. I wish more people would be like Mr. Hall. He’s a very upstanding and mannerable young man. I never have a problem with him getting frustrated with his work. Mr. Hall is really a smooth sailing guy who’s going to go far in the Army and his career,” said Jones.

Hall said he is happy to have mentors and tutors like Jones in Disabilities Services that he can rely on to help him with anything he needs. He recalled early struggles with a low GPA and how he used to get stressed about how he could do better academically.

“I’m living proof that you can overcome anything. As I have reached my fourth semester in a collegiate institution. I now have a GPA of 3.6 and I’ve also been ask to join the National Honor Society of Alpha Lambda Delta.”