 |
Success Stories |
|
 |
Success Stories from other dyslexics is really what helped me feel better about myself. In fact it wasn't until I was 22 years old that I read a book and learned about famous people with dyslexia; I then started looking at my learning disability in a positive way. At an earlier point in time, dyslexia was an unrealized Gift that I so often tried to hide; because of past childhood memories of name calling, and feeling inadequate when compared to my peers. The feelings of being stupid caused me to have low self-esteem, even though I was just as, if not more, talented in other areas than my fellow students were. Often people seem to value and respect reading and spelling skills more than they do abilities in other areas such as the arts. Children with dyslexia are extremely talented and creative people. For their and my sake, we need to emphasize the arts. They are just as important as reading and spelling.
I hope you enjoy reading the success stories below. May they help you to understand your own difficulties and what truly lies behind all the negatives of dyslexia; the Gift. If you would like to add your own success story to this page, please email me with your first name and story and I will put it on the website.
I AM HAPPY TO BE ME! A POEM BY LAUREN GIBSON AGE 9
Everyone is different, I'm different in this way,
I'm not very good at writing, but I know what I want to say.
You can laugh and tease, but I don't care,
I'm happy being different... So there!
So what if I can't spell, the computer does the trick!
I may not SEEM as bright as you, but I'm DEFINITELY NOT THICK!
My specialty is Drama, I warn you I can't sing,
everyone likes something and acting is my thing.
Dyslexia might be hard for you to understand,
but all I need from others is a little helping hand!
THIS POEM REALLY HITS HOME... PLEASE HELP AND ALWAYS ENCOURAGE THE DYSLEXIC IN YOUR LIFE TO FIND HIS/HER GIFT! THE GIFT OF DYSLEXIA IS THERE. - Elizabeth Pajl, Miss Prairie Village 2005 |
Our son Kieran has been struggling since starting school and we as parents have been fighting to get people to listen to us. Kieran is now 8 and has always hated school, we have had to watch heartbroken as he returned from school saying he had been called thick again. He could not sleep at night for the fear of going to school again the next day. We got nowhere with his first school so put him to another who recognized that he was a bright boy but had problems learning. Unfortunately he was still only 6 at this time and the school said he needed to be older to assess him.
We felt we didn't have time to waste as his confidence was taking a nose dive by this stage so we paid a lot of money to take him to the dyslexia institute where he was diagnosed dyslexic but told his IQ was 132. Immediately Kieran started believing he was not thick at all although we still had a long fight ahead. To cut a long story short we kept on going into school that now had the report from the DI and telling them we wanted more done for him.
In the end they decided they would apply for a statement (with some nagging from us) and within 6 months it was recommended that he went to a mainstream school with a dyslexia centre attached to it. Well he started only 2 days ago and I've seen a different child already. He now comes home happy and the support he is receiving has gone from 1 hour a week to being supported most of the day. I now have high hopes for my clever little boy. - Jane
I am 12. I don't know if I am dyslexic or whatever. I see words mixed up. It really gets me down. I go to a good school. they saw I needed help and I have it. I am doing better now. I am proud. - Charley
I am 18 and have received an offer to study Materials Science at Oxford University. I was told I was dyslexic when I was 8. My lack of spelling ability has not prevented me from doing well in education and dyslexia has helped me in understanding many abstract ideas in physics and math.
Despite my dyslexia I gained A grades in English literature and language as well as in 4 other subjects, an A+ in Mathematics, and last year I got 4 A grades in Physics, Math, Chemistry and Biology. Dyslexia does not need to impede your progress and many people don't know I am dyslexic. This is not because I am embarrassed to tell them but I do feel bad telling them when getting piles of As and they aren't. - Luke
Hi I am Rob I found out I was dyslexic at 27. At first I was relieved and didn't feel like an idiot anymore. Then I thought back about my education and how my condition was missed. To be labeled with a disability was hard. I knew I couldn't spell but as I am a 200 pound natural bodybuilder I don't fit the normal description of a disabled person.
I left school with no degree and after doing dead end jobs and being out of work I found employment in the fitness industry (sport had given me self esteem which I'd lost in education, a great many athletes are dyslexic including Steve Redgrave). In this industry my fitness, ability to teach and relate to people mattered more than my poor spelling.
In 2002 I re-entered education. I'd be lying if I said it was an easy decision. I took an access course at a college. It was the best thing I ever did. One day I was a little annoyed about some of my class mate's attitude towards me, thinking they thought I was stupid for asking so many questions in class. I talked about it with a class mate in the pub. What he told me shocked me, he told me they joked about me because they all thought I was so clever. This shocked me after been labeled stupid and lazy for so long. My attitude changed, my new hero was Albert Einstein (a dyslexic genius), I was going to prove I was not thick and that dyslexics can succeed. I passed my Access to health and life sciences in a year with 2 degrees while working in the evening (I had no life for a year). I am now at a University in my second year of a nutrition Degree.
I love it. I've learned so much and just want to keep learning. Last year I started to learn the gymnastic rings, using the indo balance board and learned to surf. Life is good for the most part, I get depressed sometimes like a lot of dyslexics the odds are stacked against us by those who would write us off as stupid, but it is them that are stupid for not understanding dyslexia.
My niece is dyslexic and I hope she is treated better at school than I was. Hope must prevail; let's show the world how clever we are. I think we dyslexics are an untapped resource of great intelligence and creativity, good luck to you in all your endeavors we are not learning disabled we are whole brain education enabled. May be one day the world will realize this. - Rob
Hello
I found out I was dyslexic when I was 8 and I still am. I only went to the test a few weeks ago. When I found out I was ok, but now only 2 days ago I am having bad dreams and crying a lot. My teacher Mrs. Cloings made me feel better. She said if you put me in a room with a thousand children I would be in the top two of the cleverst people there! She also said that my iq is very high!
If you are having problems go to a dyslexic studing place and get tested!
Dont worry - Lucy
In elementary school I was singled out as the class dunce. Weekly spelling tests were my nightmare as you had to pass your test to your next door neighbor to have them marked and I never got more than one out of ten correct. I was usually in tears most nights before the test. Like many dyslexics I found ways to hide my shame but still had to make the long lonely walk from my regular classroom to the special needs class once a day to read from books that the five year olds were reading with so much ease.
When I was eleven I was tested and diagnosed with dyslexia. I had a writing/reading/spelling age of six and started on a program to overcome dyslexia. The weekly sessions helped a little but I was still failing at school and eventually dropped out of the program. I had no self esteem and on many occasions wanted to kill myself. I was so frustrated - I was intelligent but could barely write a sentence.
I am now working for one of the largest companies in World as a senior executive - I have worked in Australia, Mexico, Austria and Asia. I still write in block letters (that only I can read) and can not spell to save my life. I found a boss at work who recognized that I was smarter than most of his staff and he gave me a chance to prove it. I have never looked back and have been incredibly lucky to have the life I have lived so far (I am 39 now). Every time I need to hire someone now I never look at their educational accomplishments on their resume. I look for the next 'me' - someone who just needs that first helping hand to prove that they are not useless or stupid.
I still suffer from depression (sometimes I feel suicidal and I think that the pain of my school years will haunt me forever). Sometimes I sit alone and cry for no reason. As I read these stories I have tears running down my cheeks. But I am still alive and I am still fighting. My advice to you if you are suffering from dyslexia:
- Never believe people who say you are stupid or slow - you are a bright, intelligent and gifted human being
- Never give up on yourself or sell yourself short - ask life what you dream of and don't give up until you get it
- Find a mentor who you can talk to when you are feeling down - everyone needs a coach
- Learn to use a computer - it is the best invention for dyslexics
- Live your life to the fullest every day as if its your last - 'seize the day'
Good luck - Angie
I have always been a slow reader and writer and really struggled with english at school. Nobody was more surprised than me when I got a C in english! Unfortunately I didn't receive many As and I only passed 1 class (Art). Anyway, I didn't give up and I eventually passed my nursing exams and worked as a nurse for a few years. I realised though that I wasn't really using the skills I enjoyed and quit. The success story is that I enrolled on an engineering degree at university and (after being diagnosed with dyslexia), I've come top of my year in all exams for the last couple of years and I'm getting good grades - plus I'm finally using the skills I enjoy using (like math and problem-solving skills etc). In engineering, dyslexia definitely helps!!
I have some assistive software and a computer etc which I find really helpful - and the university have been brilliant. I hope this story inspires a few people to believe in their abilities and "reach for the stars". - Jackie
I've just found out I have dyslexia. I'm in year 6 and find learning hard but my team came second in a football tournament. - Noah
Hey I found out I was dyslexic when I was 5 and had just started school. Throughout my primary school life I was always underachieving. People started to pick on me because they were reading much harder books and I was still reading what they would have called simple books.
When I was 8 I began to improve very slightly and my teachers were really supportive. They gave me extra help and would always make sure that I understood everything before moving on. The hard work paid off my reading began to get slightly better with lots of practice.
I then started at senior school and then things began to get worse. I had a english teacher who basically thought I had been hit with a plank over the head and there was nothing up top. So in the end I got really upset and my parents made me change schools. I started at my new school and within weeks I could see a significant improvement and they had been so helpful. For the fist time in my life I had felt like I was getting somewhere. My school then decided that the best way for me to improve was to use a laptop. I began to use a laptop and this helped me massively.
This has showed me that hard work and determination have really paid of. And also if anyone tells you that you are dumb because you are dyslexic this is NOT true- you are just as clever if not cleverer than most people without dyslexia.
Good luck every one xxx - Becki
Hi
What a good website, with interesting stories from different sorts and ages of people. It's really good to hear of parents helping and supporting their children, as this is the very most important factor in success when growing up. I didn't have any support and it took me a very long time to sort myself out. I went to college but only for a bit as I couldn't get good grades. After 5 years I still hadn't figured out where I was supposed to be when, so it was easier to go and play the guitar or go sailing. When I was at school no-one knew anything about the way the brain works. I got A for art, but got record low results for math and physics. I wanted to be a photographer.
I didn't go back to education for 30 years, when I finally figured I wasn't stupid after all. Then my brain sucked it all up like a sponge, and I learnt to learn everything by pictures. I got honors in molecular biology by pictures, and I did a PhD in nanobiomechanics by pictures. The chemistry dept. employed many people to make computerized graphics of the molecule I could turn and twist in my minds eye all the time.
I now teach adults math, because dyslexia affects the way we do math, and I can help people use their skills. pretty soon more people will realize that the human brain is naturally 'dyslexic', uses both sides of the brain, is quite happy with uncertainty, and it is people that only use 1 side who are the control freaks who like to be controlled and limit themselves.
I've had a hard time, but some amazing times too. I love photography. I didn't need to go and do a college course- I just had to look, and see. - Catherine
hey i'm dyslexic and i don't feel shy to say it out loud. i have a gift and i'm thankfull for it. and all you people who are dyslexic should be 2. i'm only 14 but i know we must be proud of it and never let anyone bring us down about it. - Maria
Just a few lines of encouragement. I am Dyslexic and I knew it since I was 8. I am now 45. I had major problem and school is a bad souvenir for me. I went through a technical education and then whet to a University when I was already married. Today I have good professional situation.
Because my way of thinking in images more then words and numbers, I found my self very comfortable and competitive using my creativity. What I am trying to say for all people who have Dyslexia, Yes, education system is hard because it has not been made for us, but all the difficulties we have has nothing to do with our intellectual capability. Big men like Einstein had the same learning difficulties due to Dyslexia!
Get all the help you can from associations, schools etc. Learn what is the best way for you to learn. My big chance was that my parents supported and encouraged me all the way, and especially when I had exam failures. They always told me that I was worth it. One important thing, to not be ashamed of our gift! - Ben
We wanted to first of all say congratulations to all the people who managed to deal with their dyslexia and receive goodish exam results. We have both struggled through school. But knowing other people are going through the same thing helped us both receive top grades. Thank you! - Jess and Emily
First up, well done! This site is great! I was diagnosed with dyslexia when I started my university course at 21. I hated school, but did well at some subjects and awful at others. I managed to make it into university and after receiving support and learning about the way my brain works, I passed with a 2.1. I now have an amazing job which allows me to use the gifts that I have. I would like say to anyone who has dyslexia; never give up on your dreams. Because of the way your brain works you will be able to do things better and faster than non-dyslexics could ever do. - Jon
Hi i am anne and i found out i was dyslexic when i was in 1st grade. one of my teachers told my mom to get me evaluated for dyslexia and she did sure enough i was dyslexic. but before my teacher noticed i was put in the special classes and for i long time i felt like them. but in 2nd grade i went to a special school for dyslexics in georgia and i was there for 4 years so i could learn to read and write and i did and i am actually proud to be dyslexic because it makes me different now i am a freshman in highschool and doing good and loving it. - Anne
Hi! I have 4 children with very high IQ's and dyslexia. The tricky part is that they all have different types. My oldest daughter finds it hard to organize herself and puts her thoughts to paper very slowly. As hard as she tries she can never get good grades like her friends despite an IQ of 160.
My next daughter mainly has difficulties with Math, spelling and punctuation but reads really well. My 12 year old has a statement for her dyslexia. She put her case to the panel very well and now has 2 hours of specialist tuition in school time.
My youngest son reads well but has motor control problems and writes (and spells) slowly and with great difficulty.
All having dyslexia even with such different learning differences does help. It means they can understand each other's frustrations. They are all used to having parents going into school to straighten out misunderstandings (detentions or poorly set homework!) or to drop off forgotten items (lunch money etc) For me it meant I had 4 wonderful and patient people.
If I could do only one thing it would be to re-label Specific Learning Difficulties to read 'Specific Learning Differences'. There is nothing that is 'difficult' for my children to learn if their teachers would only teach them in the right way. - Sharon
hi... I am 14 and dyslexic my parents found out when I was about 10 and didn't tell me (i found out when I was 12.) Apart from being diagnosed I have had no specialist help and my mom was the only person who has helped me.
I have gone from being unable to spell simple words to where I am now, and I can now say to people 'yes I'm dyslexic' and not be upset about it. I am so proud of myself. To everyone out there if you put your mind to it and your prepared to work hard you can do anything!! - Emma
I'm 10 years old and my teacher set the class a task, to find an issue and report on it. I am not dyslexic but I feel sorry for the people who are. Sometimes it can be hard with everyone making fun of you. Tell me about it I know how it feels. I think expressing your feelings about dyslexia is good because, it lets other people know how dyslexic people feel and I wish every dyslexic people LUCK!!!!!!!!!!! - Timmy
hi i am dislexic and i used to find it very difficult to read and write until i got this book from my learning support teacher it was called toe by toe it help me read though it took me 4 years to complete. it used to annoy me having dyslexia i used to cry and say i was dumb and last year i finally completed it and i could read a lot better. AND THEN i started school it was so difficult the first term and then i got help and i am now top of the class and am so happy and whenever somebody looks at my work and says 'o look at what shes done its all wrong' i say 'well i have dislexea and how do you know its not yours thats wrong' and it usually is theirs that's wrong. - Paige
Hello my name is James and I am dyslexic too, I had a very long journey through school and was teased severely for being different, the creation of your site is brilliant and you are an example to many of us. I succeeded by identifying my strengths and developing an extremely organized pattern of thought and as a result I have succeeded in learning through repetition and application of this strategy. Once you have identified your pattern, we dyslexics have proven to have extremely powerful minds and have neat ways of thinking and seeing the world the way no else can. I am now 30 and I have a wonderful job. Thanks again! - Jim
Hello I am 9. I found out that I was dyslexic when I was 7. I used to think that I was an idiot but now I think that I am better at other things. I love dancing and I'm really good at it, well, that's what everyone else says! I'm still afraid of people looking at my work in case they say "look she's done it all wrong". I got a detention for not spelling right but my mom's trying to sort it all out because it has suddenly got too hard for me. We did a netball match and I love it, I was center and we won 16 - 1. Also I am the fastest runner girl in my class. - Kathy
Note: The information above are success stories gathered from the World of Dyslexia Advice Line and Discussion Forum and the Gift of Dyslexia website at www.thegiftofdylexia.com.
|
