Barbara A. Wilson
Barbara Wilson, M.Ed. is the co-founder and president of Wilson Language Training, which provides materials and professional learning throughout the country. She has worked to improve the lives of individuals with dyslexia for over 30 years. In 1988, Barbara authored the Wilson Reading System®, now in its 4th edition, based on reading research and her work at Massachusetts General Hospital Reading Disabilities Clinic where she taught adults with dyslexia. Barbara developed and oversees graduate courses and clinical practicums which lead to Wilson® Dyslexia Practitioner and Therapist certifications which are accredited International Dyslexia Association (IDA) Tier 3 training programs. More than 25,000 teachers hold Wilson certifications in the U.S. This certification is also an integral component for several university programs. Barbara has authored two other multisensory structured language programs: Fundations® for K-3 students, and Just Words® for students in grades 4-12 and adults. Barbara provides professional expertise for several organizations and efforts dedicated to reading and dyslexia. She was invited to the White House to speak to the President’s Domestic Policy Adviser on Education regarding the issue of literacy in America’s middle and high schools and in 2015, she testified in front of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Science, Space, and Technology in support of H.R. 3033, the Research Excellence and Advancements for Dyslexia (READ) Act which was later signed into law. Barbara has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from two Massachusetts institutions: Becker College and Fitchburg State University.