bAd Makes Good of Dyslexia

I have dyslexia. In 4th grade I was so humbled by having to read out loud in class and I decided right then and there, I had to do something about it.
So I auditioned for a play across from St Monica's at Lincoln Parks Miles Playhouse.
Theatre was my creative outlet for my frustration. I made it my career. In my late 20's I was invited by Barry Edelstein, a Rhode scholar and the dramaturg for New York Shakespeare, to cold read the "Unto the Breach" speech from Henry V. After I read,he said,"now E here is dyslexic...reading cold (outloud with no prep with the material) Is her greatest fear..she did good..right? So I don't want to hear any complaining about why you can't do this..." That was a great day!
It has been a constant struggle. I have had directors who would very graciously give me blown up sides a day early or at least let me know what to study...I have also been laughed at and accused of "playing" a disability for sympathy. I drank over my dyslexia...a lot.
I knew I was smart but this thing of reading in front of people just knee-capped me.
It did have a blessing. It made me aware of others in a way I would not have been had I not been granted an insight you can only have within a disability.
When my son started school I was so afraid he was going to have to go through this. He has some learning challenges,dysgraphia and some fine and gross motor skill issues. I went after an IEP for him like a Gihad in First grade. I got him every service available in Santa Barbara County. He is now in 7th grade and fully integrated and a straight A student,,,with a big ole heart for the under dog. The challenge has made him strong and good hearted.
I found that a lot of dyslexics become alcoholics.
Made sense to me. Shame is a powerful thing.
Dyslexia doesn't have to be shameful.
It can be an advantage if you are open to it.
It is all about perception and choice: to have a disability or be a disability.

E - Thanks for sharing that - we and our teenage son have been struggling with many of those same issues but having less success even though we picked up on them when he was very young and, like you, have done everything possible to address and help him overcome them. Life for him and for us has been rich and fulfilling in many respects, including loving and supportive friends and family, fascinating travel both just to see the world and to do community service work, and he has had much joy in his life, but the problems are overwhelming for him at times, particularly the academic ones as he gets older, and our limited ability (or inability) to help him solve them breaks our hearts.

I have dyslexia, my parents tested me and BAM! I was a border-line. My brother was full-blown and recieved help from the school system and doctors but for me, I had to adjust. That meant, trying new idea's, using the Dictionary a lot, writing that paper several times to get it right, thinking before I spoke so NOT to sound retarded or lame.
I had to second-guess myself and learn to think on the "fly". I was NOT eligible for any special assistance, no doctors, no tutors, just stumbling along and learning from many mistakes that class-mates were more than happy to point out.
In the end, I have a much larger vocabulary, I write papers with clarity and purpose, I come up with witty and educated remarks that make people believe I was born with a high IQ but it's just little ol'me who just had to work three times harder than everyone else to get it right.

dou4now