Aleysha Ortiz, a Connecticut honors student, is suing her school district, claiming she is illiterate despite graduating from Hartford Public High School with honors and receiving a scholarship to the University of Connecticut. At 19, Ortiz alleges that her educational system failed her, stating that she struggled with letter and number recognition since first grade, which went unaddressed.
After advocating for herself in 11th grade, she was tested for dyslexia just a month before graduation, with results confirming she needed specialized reading instruction.
Ortiz claims she was informed she could defer her diploma to receive further support, but she chose to graduate.
Now attending UConn, she relies on text-to-speech and speech-to-text apps to complete assignments and is currently on leave for mental health treatment.
She expresses gratitude for the technology that has given her a voice in her educational journey.
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