The first Discovering Dyslexia session on Wednesday, Dec. 10 offered an opportunity for community members to learn more about the learning disability and the new Roberts Academy at Elon University, a new transitional school that will be the state's only university-based private school for children with dyslexia.
Interested parents, community members, and potential future faculty and staff of the Roberts Academy at Elon University came together for the first Discovering Dyslexia session, on Wednesday, Dec. 10 in Johnston Hall.
The sessions are an effort to inform the community about dyslexia and what the new Roberts Academy at Elon University will offer for students with dyslexia. The next “Discovering Dyslexia” session will be January 27, 2026 in Johnston Hall. A RSVP link will be available soon.
“This marks the first of many opportunities to learn, connect and share an understanding about dyslexia and the vision that guides the Roberts Academy at Elon University,” said Alicia Tate, acting director of the Roberts Academy and assistant professor in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education, who opened the program. “This series, Discovering Dyslexia, will become a regular touchpoint for our community as we move forward in our implementation plan. Each session will bring new updates, deeper insights and continued transparency about the work ahead.”
The Roberts Academy at Elon University, will be North Carolina’s only university-based private school for children with dyslexia. The school will initially welcome third and fourth grade students in a temporary location on West Trollinger Avenue in Elon, N.C., before expanding capacity to grades one through six in a state-of-the-art facility planned for East Haggard Avenue set to open in Fall 2028.
The Roberts Academy at Elon University will be a transitional school intended for two-to-three years of instruction before children return to their community schools equipped to succeed as future scholars, entrepreneurs and civic leaders. The new school is made possible through the generosity of Hal and Marjorie Roberts of Lakeland, Florida. The Roberts Academy at Elon University will be the fourth private school established by the couple to assist children with dyslexia.
At Wednesday’s session, Tate detailed updated information about the academy, including offering background on dyslexia, broadly defined as an unexpected difficulty in learning to read. It interferes with a child’s ability to read quickly and can take a toll on self-esteem when left untreated, something Lisa LeBlanc knows all too well as her son Andrew struggled with dyslexia.
“I was reading everything I could about dyslexia, and one of the things that I read a lot about, that concerned me tremendously (…) was the correlation between dyslexia and low self-esteem. The correlation is very real,” said LeBlanc, who spoke to the audience on Wednesday. “That became my goal: Andrew’s self esteem. Figure out how to teach him to read fluently, accurately, with expression, (and) without crushing his self-esteem.”
LeBlanc detailed her journey, which she described as “intense” at times, of helping Andrew, from having him privately tested for dyslexia, switching schools and eventually finding him a tutor trained in the Orton Gillingham method, the same learning technique that will be used at the Roberts Academy, considered one of the most effective approaches to helping students develop strategies for overcoming their reading difficulties.
Andrew graduated from Grimsley High School in Greensboro and went on to earn a welding diploma from Guilford Technical Community College. LeBlanc says his success is great talk to talk about, but the most important thing is that Andrew has “figured out a secret to life,” knowing that happiness comes from living to your full potential and being in service to others.
“Kids that struggle and don’t come out on the other end like Andrew are at risk of being super bitter,” LeBlanc said. “And after all of this, he’s not bitter, and nor am I. It’s important for children to learn to read and write on grade level, and it’s more important that learning to read and write on grade level doesn’t come at the expense of bulletproof confidence.”
LeBlanc’s advice to parents in the audience: don’t squander the opportunity to help your child.
“Conquer your fears and accept the responsibilities of parenting your exceptional, precious child, and you will never, ever regret your child knowing exactly how you feel about them,” she said. “Let me encourage you to commit to every day, being another chance for you to live to your potential, to have faith in the scariest decisions, the ability to take the farthest steps, and the ease of making Herculean sacrifices. Because that’s what it seems to take, and you’re up for it. Because you were chosen.”
Applications for enrollment will be accepted starting in early 2026. More information, including an interest form for prospective families, can be found at www.elon.edu/robertsacademy.