I Am What I Learn – By A Dyslexic
Posted by in dyslexia-assistive-technologyThe US Department of Education & YouTube are hosting a “I Am What I Learn” video contest. Students across the US are requested to create and submit videos explaining why education is important to their future. The common theme of all the videos is that education is key to their success. Some of these videos are quite entertaining, while others are rather inspiring (To view these videos go to: I am What I Learn).
As a dyslexic, if is very easy for me to identify with the slogan “I am What I Learn”. It is much more difficult for a dyslexic to learn to Read and Write. Reading and Writing are fundamental skills for a proper education. To gain knowledge you must be able to Read, and Writing is a key skill to demonstrate that you have knowledge. If you do not have full control on these basic skills, then your chances of succeeding in the future are much lower.
For non-dyslexics being able to Read & Writes does not appear to be the biggest challenge. You go to school, and though you may not turn out a scholar, at the minimum you will be able to Read and Write. But for us dyslexics, we know that Reading and Writing is no trivial task at all. The struggle begins from day one in school. A regular student needs to sit and learn the alphabet letters and then how to construct sounds and words from these letters. A dyslexic student needs to learn the alphabet letters and how to construct words while having these same letters play tricks on him, by visually moving around on the paper…
The struggle of learning to read and write for a dyslexic is hard one. But it is a struggle that must be won. “I Am What I Learn” is a proven fact of life. Young people who are just entering adult life, and adults who have lifelong experiences – all understand the importance of Education and Knowledge on one’s success and quality of life.
You do not get any discounts or benefits on being dyslexic. You must fight your way like any other person. You must find the way to read, write and gain knowledge. It may require more time and effort, it may require different learning techniques or supportive software programs, but at the end of the day you must remember: “I AM WHAT I LEARN”.
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Love you blog – I will be following -
Thanks for this inspiring post, it is absolutely true that reading and writing are no trivial tasks, and that some students struggling in a traditional class room may need to consider a school for dyslexic students
My company sells Colored Overlays for kids with xiyledsa to use when reading, and they really do help so many kids. The Colored Overlays come in 24 different colors and we worked with Dorothy Hensen-Parker, See It Right to pick the specific colors. An overlay is placed over the reading material to prevent moving letters, eye strain, letter reversals, etc. They are not expensive and are very simple to use. I wish I could tell everyone about them. Perhaps you might want to give them a try.I’m glad you were successful in life. It shows you were determined to succeed no matter what obstacles you faced. Hopefully other kids who suffer from xiyledsa will get help and lead successful lives too. : )