| All throughout my life I have suffered from | | | | |
| dyslexia. Dyslexia is a disability dealing | | | | I tape recorded the lectures, reviewed them |
| with how a person sees letters. It affects | | | | every night and had multiple people proof |
| their ability to read and spell but is has | | | | read my papers for errors. The knowledge |
| nothing to do with their level of | | | | that I gained was immense, but the difficulty |
| intelligence. Dyslexia occurs at all levels | | | | of putting that knowledge on paper was a |
| of intelligence: highly gifted, above | | | | struggle. |
| average, average, sub-average. Experts agree | | | | |
| that this disability is caused by a | | | | At one point during my schooling we were |
| neurological wiring difference. But all too | | | | working with Nursing Home patients. The |
| often, society sees it as sub-average | | | | nursing supervisor assigned me the toughest |
| intelligence. | | | | patient with the most problems. It wasn't |
| | | | just my imagination either, because when I |
| Most dyslexics can learn to compensate with | | | | succeeded, she was surprised and admitted |
| specially trained professionals helping them. | | | | that she had set me up to fail. She didn't |
| That was not the case for me. Forty-seven | | | | think I could operate successfully in a |
| years ago when I was in Elementary School, my | | | | nurse's capacity with Dyslexia. She was |
| disability was classified on the same level | | | | impressed, but not convinced and the |
| as mental retardation and I was placed in the | | | | negativity continued. |
| special education class. | | | | |
| | | | I finished three semesters with a 3.5gpa, but |
| Even as a child, those around me treated me | | | | the ever present, ongoing, negativity of the |
| different. My life was a world of | | | | nursing department as well as the counselor |
| negativity. In school, if I got a good grade | | | | drove me to quit college. It was hard enough |
| on an assignment or test, I was accused of | | | | to constantly compensate for my disability |
| cheating or coping others work. I was | | | | let alone continually trying to convince my |
| treated as if my intelligence was lacking, | | | | supervisors that I was capable of the work. |
| but I didn't feel I was any different than my | | | | It was easier to just give up. |
| peers. | | | | |
| | | | Over the years, I stopped believing in |
| It wasn't until High School that I was | | | | myself. Then three months ago, my brother and |
| actually diagnosed with Dyslexia but by that | | | | sister in-law introduced me to a |
| time I had lost so many opportunities to | | | | do-it-yourself website building company. |
| learn. Plus, even with the diagnosis, I was | | | | They explained how the process worked and |
| still treated as if it was an intellectual | | | | they helped guide me through the steps. They |
| problem and no proper help was given. I had | | | | shared their own site building knowledge and |
| learned to compensate on my own but my | | | | skills, which helped me, unlock my own site |
| English grades had suffered greatly through | | | | building creative potential. |
| the years. | | | | |
| | | | Now, three months later, my site is in the |
| As I grew older, I worked hard to rise above | | | | top one percent of all websites in the world. |
| this disability but every time I wanted to | | | | I have carefully followed all of the |
| try something new I would receive a negative | | | | instruction that the website program offers |
| response from those around me. Most of my | | | | and I'm no longer surrounded by pessimistic |
| life has been filled will failures brought on | | | | people that only see me as a failure, lacking |
| by self-doubt which was influenced by the | | | | in intelligence. Instead, I'm around |
| negativity of others and my own insecurities. | | | | positive people who believe in me. I still |
| | | | need someone to proof read my work for errors |
| Here is one example, I decided to go to | | | | associated with my dyslexia. Spell check is |
| college and get a nursing degree. In the | | | | amazing but not entirely reliable as most of |
| application process the counselor reviewed my | | | | you already know. |
| high school records and discovered my | | | | |
| disability, she informed me that she only saw | | | | If you have Dyslexia, don't let other |
| failure in my future as a nurse due to the | | | | people's ignorance hold you back from |
| possibility of reversing numbers on important | | | | succeeding. |
| medications and harming a patient. I | | | | |
| convinced her that I didn't have a problem | | | | I truly believe that with the right amount of |
| with reversing numbers and to let me try one | | | | determination and a little help anyone with |
| semester of school. She agreed, reluctantly, | | | | Dyslexia can succeed in life. |
| to the one semester trial. | | | | |