New York City will screen every student for dyslexia for the first time starting in September, bringing the nation’s largest school system in line with education policies adopted in most of the US and directly addressing an issue that disproportionately impacts low-income students and schoolchildren of color.

“This is an equity issue,” said Mayor Eric Adams, who announced the program at a briefing on Thursday. “Screenings are expensive. They cost hundreds of dollars and many families can't afford it. This is going to remove that barrier and ensure every child in every Zip code receive the help they need.” The program’s cost estimate is $7.4 million, a department of education spokesperson said.

Adams has been vocal about his own struggles with dyslexia, which he said wasn’t discovered until later in life and frustrated him throughout his studies and his career. “If I didn’t have to wait until I stumbled into this in college, God only knows where I would have been,” Adams said. Read the full story here