Nov. 18, 2009

Dr. Lou Denti, a professor of special education at CSU Monterey Bay and director of the university's Center for Reading Instruction and Diagnosis, has dedicated his life to helping those who struggle to learn.

Educators across the country have benefited from his research, publications and presentations, but in late October he had a memorable speaking engagement.

Dr. Denti (pictured at left) delivered the keynote address at the annual meeting of the Ohio School Speech Pathology and Educational Audiology Consortium and received the organization's Annie Glenn National Leadership Award.

The award is named for Annie Glenn, wife of former astronaut and senator John Glenn, and an adjunct professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science at Ohio State University. She is involved with issues around communication because of her struggles with stuttering. The Glenns attended the awards ceremony.

The award recognizes people who exemplify leadership, specifically those who are committed to change through clinical or research excellence in communication, language and literacy.

In her message to Dr. Denti, she said, "I thank you for caring enough to initiate the process of change and being committed to make a difference. Specifically, I thank you for caring enough about us who suffer from communication failure and are locked in a world of isolation.

"Thank you for unlocking our doors and freeing us so that we, too, can dare to dream and then take flight." (Mrs. Glenn is pictured at right with Dr. Denti at the awards ceremony.)

Dr. Denti, the Lawton Love Distinguished Professor in Special Education at CSUMB, has been on the faculty since 2000. His research interests include special education policy, differentiating instruction, struggling readers at the secondary level and alternative education.

His books include "New Ways of Looking at Learning Disabilities: Connections to Classroom Practice," and a book of poetry, "Shadows and Moon," which delves into the feelings students experience when they don't quite fit in. He co-edited "Effective Practice for Adolescents with Reading and Literacy Challenges," which was published last year.

He has also co-edited a special series for Reading and Writing Quarterly entitled "Pointing the Way: Teaching Reading to Struggling Readers at the Secondary Level."