Literacy Advocate: ‘Learning to Read Made the Storm Disappear’

Michigan’s 2025 Diversity in Literature
Symposium Webinar Series Kicks Off

LANSING – Educators and administrators were inspired by a noted advocate who has dedicated his life to promoting literacy. 

Mr. Deon Butler, a Motor City native, Central Michigan University graduate, former Detroit Lions tight end and literacy advocate, was the featured speaker during the first of a five-part virtual series called “2025 Diversity in Literature Symposium: The How and Why of Literacy Webinar.” The webinar series occurs during March is Reading Month.

“When I couldn’t read, I had only one goal,” Butler said—meaning football. “After learning how to read, I had multiple goals. When you can’t read, you are one-dimensional. I thought that the National Football League was my only option.”  

Butler has characteristics of dyslexia.

“In 2015, I was picked up by the Detroit Lions,” Butler wrote on his website. “A dream come true soon turned into a nightmare. My performance on the field was outstanding, but the playbooks and concepts had my head swirling. My reading problem came back to haunt me in my proudest moments.”

After his pro football career ended, Butler dedicated himself to motivating children and has become an author. 

“Learning to read made the storm disappear,” Butler said during the webinar on Wednesday. “Learning how to read gave me hope for a better lifestyle.”

The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and the Michigan Multi-Tiered System of Supports Technical Assistance Center are co-sponsors of the webinar series. Dr. Corinne Edwards, director of MDE’s Office of Educational Supports, as well as Mrs. DeNesha Rawls-Smith, Literacy Unit manager, and Ms. Katy Dennis, literacy consultant, helped to lead the one-hour effort.

Butler and MDE helped to advocate for the passage of Public Act 146 of 2024, and Public Act 147 of 2024, which are referred to as the K-12 Literacy and Dyslexia Laws. 

Butler’s life journey is as powerful as his commitment to our community, said State Superintendent Dr. Michael F. Rice.

“We appreciate Mr. Deon Butler and all others who have interest in working to increase student achievement through literacy,” said Dr. Rice. “The webinar series aligns with Goal 2 of Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan, which is improving early literacy achievement.” 

Like this week’s webinar, future efforts will include local and national experts and will be tailored to K-12 educators and administrators. Future topics are:

• Defining Dyslexia.
• Identifying Characteristics and Consequences of Dyslexia.
• Structured Literacy Instruction.
• The Reading Brain.
• Selecting and Implementing Engaging Classroom Library Texts. 

Those interested in viewing future webinars in this series can select one or all the links below to register for the symposium webinar.

• March 27: MDE Dyslexia Handbook, Part 1
• April 3: MDE Dyslexia Handbook, Part 2

Preregistration is required and recordings will be available on the MDE Early Literacy webpage following the webinars. More information on the upcoming May 15, 2025, and June 26, 2025, webinars will be available soon. 

Previously, educators and/or administrators representing all 56 of the state’s intermediate school districts attended a virtual Dyslexia Summit on Jan. 31. There were 2,128 attendees, which doesn’t take into account the total number of educators who attended 141 “watch parties.” During the summit, experts shared how to support students with dyslexia using a multi-tiered system of support. 

For more information about the series, please contact the MDE Literacy Unit at MDE-Literacy-Dyslexia@Michigan.gov. 

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