Its Origin and Operating Structure

Planning for the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators began in 1991 as a response to discussions initiated by the Orton Dyslexia Society (International Dyslexia Association). Those engaged in the planning and the implementation of the Academy were a group of dedicated and distinguished Orton-Gillingham teachers and educators from throughout the United States concerned with how better to serve persons with dyslexia, fellow professionals, and the public interest. The Academy began formal operations in 1995. It is governed by Board of Trustees elected from among the Academy’s Fellows. The objectives and tasks of the organization are accomplished by working committees composed of Trustees and other dedicated members of the Academy. Currently, the Academy has nearly 1,000 national and international members who have met its standards.

Who were Orton and Gillingham?

Samuel Torrey Orton (1879-1948), a neuropsychiatrist and pathologist, was a pioneer in focusing attention on reading failure and related language processing difficulties. He brought together neuroscientific information and principles of remediation. As early as the 1920s, he had extensively studied children with the kind of language processing difficulties now commonly associated with dyslexia and had formulated a set of teaching principles and practices for such children.

Anna Gillingham (1878-1963) was a gifted educator and psychologist with a superb mastery of the language. Working with Dr. Orton, she trained teachers and compiled and published instructional materials. Over the last half century the Orton-Gillingham approach has been the seminal and most influential intervention designed expressly for remediating the language processing problems of children and adults with dyslexia.

Background

The Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators is unique in being the only organization established and authorized expressly to set and maintain professional and ethical standards for the practice of the Orton-Gillingham Approach and to certify teachers and to accredit instructional programs that meet these standards. The Academy is incorporated and operates under the New York State Education Law, its corporate status being authorized in 1995 by action of the Board of Regents of The University of the State of New York. It is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization.