New documentary spotlights mothers' journey to open school dedicated to children with dyslexia

Wednesday, January 22, 2025
New doc shows moms' fight to open school dedicated to dyslexic children
Kemberly Richardson has more on the new documentary 'Left Behind.'

CONCOURSE VILLAGE, The Bronx (WABC) -- A new documentary is out that spotlights a group of mothers in their journey to help their children with dyslexia get a proper education.

The film, 'Left Behind,' was made with the goal to open a New York City-based school specifically focused on helping children with dyslexia.

It worked, which led to the South Bronx Literacy Academy opening in 2023.

"This story is really a social justice story, it's all about everyone getting equal access," said 'Left Behind' director Anna Toomey. "No one should be denied the right to be able to read."

'Left Behind' is Toomey's first independent film, and for her it was personal. Toomey's son Charlie is dyslexic and like the ladies in the film, she too spent years navigating a system that's largely not set up to support kids with this learning disability.

"It's a universal feeling of wanting to help your children though we come from very different circumstances," Toomey said. "I felt like that was the connecting bond."

Toomey followed families for three years, including Naomi Pena's. All of Pena's children are dyslexic. She recalled her son telling her about his condition in first grade.

"He was like 'mom, I don't know what it is, it's like my brain won't let me,'" she said. "And that to me was a call for help."

Pena also emphasized that children with dyslexia have an "amazing, beautiful mind that is completely untapped."

'Left Behind' continues getting rave reviews with parents and advocates from around the world reaching out to the team, according to Toomey.

"That surprised me the most, in terms of the breath of where this can go to create real change," Toomey said.

One in five people are dyslexic, with roughly 50% of them behind bars and struggling to read.

RELATED | Film highlights director's move to NYC in search of better education for her dyslexic daughter

Lucy Yang has the details.

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