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The Voice of San Jose City College Since 1956
Volume 81 Issue 1
Reading better with colors
Plastic overlays can relieve visual stress BY ALEX WRIGHT TIMES STAFF
It is hard to read when the text on your paper appears to move or be drowned out by the white of the page. The little-known and controversial Irlen Syndrome and its treatment method may relieve these symptoms. According to literature on the Irlen Foundation website, Irlen Syndrome is a perceptual processing disorder, a problem with how the brain processes information. Treatment for Irlen is simple: colors. People with Irlen can benefit from colored plastic overlays, colored paper or tinted glasses or contacts. Critics of Irlen Syndrome, the academic, scientific community and eye doctors, claim the studies supporting Irlen are unscientific, poorly conducted and anecdotal. In spite of the criticism, people receiving treatment using the Irlen method swear it works. Struggling students can change the background color in their word processor or visiting the Irlen website and try changing the background color to see if reading on color helps them. A written diagnosis could result in accommodations such as use of filters or tests printed on colored paper. Sheryl Pliskin, LMFT Double check with an academic counselor to make sure accommodations are a possibility as screening and diagnosis costs money and may not be covered by insurance. Irlen is a relatively new disorder discovered by Olive Meares and Helen Irlen in the 1980s.
“It made a significant positive impact in my life.”
STEPHANIE SMITH / TIMES STAFF
Left, Alex Wright, 33, software engineering explains Irlen Syndrome to Luis Martinez, 24, undecided, on Tuesday, Dec. 15 at San Jose City College. “One of her students came into the classroom with a gel (colored plastic overlay used on lights) from the theater department and was using it to read,” Sheryl Pliskin, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist said in a phone interview on Dec 12. Pliskin is a program director at San Francisco’s Alternate Family Services. She also has Irlen Syndrome and provides diagnostic services to Bay Area residents. When she was in college, a fellow student offered Pliskin their Irlen glasses after she asked to copy their notes because the overhead projector hurt her eyes, Pliskin said. “I put them on and everything just shifted,” Pliskin said. “It made a significant positive impact in my life: in my sense of self,
my identity (and) my self-esteem.” The improvement was so profound that she chose to get training and offer Irlen services to others shortly after college. Pliskin warns that some people have other challenges on top of the light sensitivity and may not get instant results, but for some the results are similar to hers. Pliskin says her grades improved with the Irlen method and she is not alone. In 2006, Stoddard Elementary School in southern Calif. screened all 4-6th graders for Irlen and gave filters to those who benefited from them. Stoddard reported a 25 percent increase in their overall State Standardized Test score. According to an independent brain imaging study, people with Irlen Syndrome are
overstimulated by light and have decreased activity in parts of the brain. A second scan showed the afflicted patients’ brain activity near normal when researches used colored filters to tint what the patient was seeing. They study was conducted by Dr. Daniel Amen in Irvine, Calif. While some think the Irlen method is simply a placebo effect, those suffer from visual stress the Irlen Method has improved their quality of life. Pliskin said for her, “It was life changing.” For more information on Irlen Syndrome, visit www. Irlen.org.
Museum curator at SJCC Professional expert expands students’ worldviews BY ALEX WRIGHT TIMES STAFF
The Triton Museum’s work in Santa Clara is curated by one of San Jose City College’s own art instructors. Adjunct professor Preston Metcalf brings the viewpoint of a working professional in the art field to the school, said Sean Abel, dean of Humanities and Social Science. “It’s a pretty big deal for us to have
somebody of that specific background in our art program,” Abel said. Metcalf has not only worked with a number of museums in the past, including the Triton Museum of Art, San Jose Museum of Art and San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, but also simultaneously teaches at Mission College and SJCC. “He really enjoys the opportunity to come and teach,” Abel said. “It is really something different than what he normally does.” The Triton Museum was founded in 1965 by W. Robert Morgan, a local lawyer and art patron. The Triton displays contemporary art from local artists. According to the Triton Museum, Met-
NEXT NEWSPAPER: Feb. 23
calf has published over 60 articles on art and art history. “He is so incredibly knowledgeable and personable. He’s the kind of guy you want to have as a teacher. It is a great thing to have for our students.” Abel said. Some students take more art history classes after having him once. Marco Martinez, 21, is a psychology major who had Metcalf as a professor for a survey in Asian Art. “I’ve taken him twice. He’s the best teacher I have had so far,” Martinez said. “We have such a strong art faculty to begin with,” Abel said. “He just adds to that strength.”
ALEX WRIGHT / TIMES STAFF
Professor Preston Metcalf lectures in his art history class on Friday Nov. 20.
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