About Us

Meet Our Faculty & Executive Board

Helen Roussel

Executive Director

Helen Roussel founded the Dyslexia Advocacy Action Group to establish and support dyslexia awareness and the science of reading in public schools. She is one of the founding members of Decoding Dyslexia New York, a member of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, New York Council of Nonprofits, and the International Dyslexia Association.

Helen has organized science-based training for thirty-two teachers and eighteen public school psychologists. She has advocated for and consulted with more than two hundred parents and fifteen school districts over the last seven years. She ensures that children struggling to read and not making progress at their public schools receive the services they need to close the gap between their reading level and their peers. The majority of advocated children read 2- 5 years below grade level and are under an intolerable amount of stress (understandably). The problem is, without exception, a misunderstanding about how children learn how to read. Many teachers, psychologists, and administrators (through no fault of their own) either do not have sufficient training, apply incorrect remediation, or erroneously do not offer any remediation at all. Multiple peer-reviewed studies and pilot schools indicate that if all students received one session per day of explicit, multi-sensory, systematic, and cumulative structured literacy from the beginning (K-3rd grade) – only a tiny fraction would ever need remediation, and IEP's would be rare.

There is a severe crisis in New York: 65% of general education students cannot read to grade level. Dyslexia is a symptom of a broader misunderstanding about how to teach reading.

Helen's training includes the Orton-Gillingham Approach as an Associate Level Educator, and in The Writing Revolution, she teaches explicit writing at summer academic camps. Helen has a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Studies and is appointed by Southampton Town to the Sustainable Southampton Green Advisory Committee.

Helen resides with her husband and three children in New York.

Ann Edwards

Director of Teacher Training

Ann Edwards founded Literacy for Life in 2010 and works with the Dyslexia Advocacy Action Group with the goal of providing quality training to educators at public schools in New York.
Ann is an Accredited Training Fellow of the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators, IDA Reading Specialist, Certified Master Trainer, Licensed Reading Specialist, and the mother of six children. Ann has been an Educational Therapist within the field of dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities for the past twenty-five years. Currently, Ann sits on the board of directors for The Academy of Orton-Gillingham and serves as a consultant for private, public, and charter schools throughout New York.

Suzanne Schneider

Director of Public School Programs

Suzanne Schneider, M.S. Ed. is a Literacy Specialist, advocate, academic tutor, and literacy evaluator. She received a Bachelor’s Degree from Boston University in 1993 and a Master’s Degree from Hunter College in Special Education, with a concentration in learning disorders, in 1995. Suzanne started her career as a public school teacher first in NYC, then in Westchester County. During her 12+ years in public education, she served as a general education classroom teacher, special education integrated co-teacher and a reading specialist. In addition to working with the Dyslexia Advocacy Action Group, Suzanne has a private practice; Westchester Educational Services and is a consultant at Southern Westchester BOCES. Suzanne provides professional development training to teachers, administrators and parents in public schools. She trains teachers to incorporate multi-sensory techniques into all content areas, executive function training, dyslexia awareness, phonological awareness training, structured literacy approaches and the science behind teaching reading. Her training includes, but are not limited to, several Orton-Gillingham approaches, Lindamood-Bell, and The Writing Revolution. She has utilized these approaches to help students with learning disabilities and special needs for over 25 years.

Evelyn Whitebay

Executive Committee Chair

Evelyn Gross Whitebay is a public-school special education teacher who is a certified member of Academy of Orton Gillingham Practitioners and Educators. Evelyn holds a Master of Education degree from Vanderbilt University and received the Ronald Yoshimoto Scholarship Award and Training in Advanced Orton-Gillingham. Evelyn is a National Learning Disabilities Association New York State Chapter Board Member and a member of the International Dyslexia Association. Evelyn has worked with Decoding Dyslexia New York and Teachers Dyslexia Coalition (nydtcoalition@gmail.com). She is involved directly with DyslexicDays FB Library Initiative, and supports the Parent Dyslexia Coalition (driveradyslexiaparentcoalition@gmail.com), NY Dyslexia Teachers Coalition (nydtcoalition@gmail.com), and the National Literacy Dyslexia Coalition at IdentifyingDyslexia.org. Evelyn serves as a powerful force to improve the lives of children with dyslexia by ensuring they learn how to read and are able to participate in their public-school education. Evelyn’s entire career is dedicated to advocating for and working with students who have Learning Disabilities and dyslexia.

Sarah McCandless Quinn

Treasurer

Sarah McCandless is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Suffolk Federal Credit Union and was previously Vice President and Controller for Bridgehampton National Bank. Recently honored as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Women in Business Sarah McCandless is recognized for her professional leadership and business acumen, mentoring and community involvement. Sarah is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)and New York State Society of CPA’s.
Sarah’s community leadership and service include; serving on the Board of Directors for the Girls Scouts of Suffolk County, treasurer for Sag Harbor Elementary School PTA, former volunteer of the Finance Committee at Most Holy Trinity Church, the Ernst & Young LLP Mentoring Program, the JPMorgan Corporate Challenge, the Association for Retarded Citizens and the Children's Museum of the East End.
Sarah resides in Sag Harbor with her two daughters.

Janine Mahoney

Secretary

Janine Mahoney is a mother, a teacher and an educational leader. She received a dual degree in Elementary and Special Education from Saint Joseph's College, and a Master's Degree and post graduate certificate in School District Administration from SUNY Stony Brook. She is certified in levels one and two in the Wilson Reading Program, a research based multisensory approach designed for students with Dyslexia. She has worked for Developmental Disabilities Institute with adults and children with Autism and Developmental Disabilities, and more recently in public education. She spent six years teaching special education in elementary school in Orient, New York, and the past sixteen years on Shelter Island in a k-12 building. She loves reading, traveling, and seeing that "light bulb" when students make connections.