Jonathan Mooney, a dyslexic writer and speaker who did not learn to read until he was 12 years old, will speak at Eastern Connecticut State University on Sept. 11 at 3 p.m. in the Student Center at Eastern.

“Instead of flipping burgers, I ended up writing books, the first of which I wrote in undergraduate school at 23 years of age,” said Mooney, who graduated with honors in English Literature from Brown University. “Growing up, I faced a number of low expectations. I was told that I would be a high school dropout and end up in jail. Instead of becoming an inmate, I became an advocate, creating organizations and initiatives that help people who get the short end of the stick.”

For his work, Mooney has been named the recipient of the Harry S. Truman Fellowship for Public Services and named a finalist for a Rhoades Scholarship. Mooney has been featured on ABC News, HBO, National Public Radio, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune and USA Today, to name a few media outlets.

“What I’m most proud of,” said Mooney, “is not that I proved wrong people who doubted me, but that I proved the many people — my mom, a teacher named Mr. R. my wife Rebecca — to be right, not just about my potential, but about the potential for all of us who live and learn differently.”

Mooney’s presentation is sponsored by the President’s Office, the Office of Equity and Diversity, Accessibility Services, the Division Student Affairs, and the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Criminology and Social Work.