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Ennis William Cosby
Ennis William Cosby recognized that you must first understand yourself before you can help other people. After completing his sophomore year at college, Ennis was tested to explore the reasons why he was having trouble achieving in the classroom. He later wrote about that day,
"The happiest day of my life occurred when I found out I was dyslexic. I believe that life is about finding solutions, and to me, the worst feeling in the world is confusion."
From that day forward, Ennis was able to excel in the classroom and in life. In 1992, Ennis graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, and thereafter pursued his love and desire to teach young people with learning differences. In 1995, Ennis received his first Masters Degree from Columbia Teachers College in New York City and was working towards his second Masters Degree and his Doctorate in Education at the time of his death. Moreover, Ennis had a dream to found a school for people with dyslexia, attention disorders and other ways of learning.
Individuals with dyslexia may have difficulty reading and spelling, because they have trouble hearing and understanding the sound system of language and mastering the way symbols are used to represent sounds. Students with attention disorders show signs of inattention and impulsivity. They may have difficulty avoiding distractions, knowing what to pay attention to, and keeping their attention and energy focused on the task at hand.
Students with learning differences of all kinds are often filled with creative energy and a potential to learn. Students do well when their parents and teachers help them understand how they learn, when students use their strengths in learning to address their weaknesses, and when encouraged to learn in different ways.
Drs. William H. and Camille 0. Cosby established the Hello Friend / Ennis William Cosby Foundation, a public, nonprofit organization, to fulfill the goals and dreams of their son. Ennis' common greeting, "Hello Friend," inspired the name of the Foundation.
The Hello Friend / Ennis William Cosby Foundation is dedicated to:
- being a friend to all people with learning differences,
- recognizing and celebrating their gifts,
- opening the doors of learning to them
- and helping them to reach their full potential.
Like Ennis, the Foundation celebrates differences in people. It is the Foundation's hope that you, as a recipient of this gift, will use this dictionary as a tool toward realizing your full potential. Your goals should not be limited or discouraged, nor should you be intimidated by words and language. The Foundation challenges you to strive for an understanding of language that emphasizes and incorporates accurate and proper word usage.
It is important to pay attention to definitions in this dictionary to explore new and different meanings of words. The Foundation would like to stress the importance of critical thinking when you read the negative definition of some colors (i.e. the word black as it is used in words such as blacklist and blackball with negative meanings, as opposed to the word white as it is used in words such as white hope and white knight with positive meanings).
The Hello Friend / Ennis William Cosby Foundation wishes to acknowledge the Kal & Lucille Rudman Foundation and Drs. William H. and Camille 0. Cosby for their generous donations that helped to make this project possible.