I have permission & really wanted to share this piece of writing that my daughter did recently. I hope people read & share to help us all understand how the world looks through the eyes of someone who has quite severe Dyslexia.
The Eyes of a Dyslexic By Zoe Morrissey
Do you know what it is like to have dyslexia? Having dyslexia is: annoying, irritating and frustrating. Having dyslexia is like someone throwing rocks at you when trying to climb a mountain.
Some people think that people with dyslexia will be fine and can do anything, they will leave you to deal with things on your own. To an extent they are correct but those people don’t know what support we need to get us through, rather than finding ways to cope. What ever happens, you have to not let things drag you down!
With having dyslexia myself, I found spelling, reading and taking loads of information on at once difficult. My working memory is shocking. I have to break everything down and take a step at a time. Most teachers forget this and I am left feeling overwhelmed. The best part about education was the creative side, as there was less written work for me to do. My imagination ran free.
After coping with my dyslexia for years, by choosing easier words to spell or change how i did the sentence. I felt that I could not ask for help because the others in the class were too noisy. I just got quieter and went unnoticed.
I got diagnosed just before my GCSE’s with Dyslexia. It did not feel great but at least I knew why I was finding things difficult. Although I felt like the teachers didn’t understand fully what support I needed to get me through my exams, I pushed myself through each lesson trying my best so, I could achieve my best with or without help.
I came home everyday extremely exhausted. Some people may say I’m tired because I don’t get enough sleep or eat healthily, and that is why I am so tired. i know that Dyslexia makes me tired because I have to work harder to understand and just keep up.
They may say teachers do know what the students need to get through the exam but need to speak up if they are struggling. I don’t agree. I got more than enough rest and ate the healthy foods that my mum made me. I was shy and very quiet then and my confidence was low , so I did not speak up and ask of help because I was embarrassed.
My confidence fell even more until a teacher at college told me that I could do it! I realised that I could see art in different ways, I could use words in my pieces, I could help others decide what to do for their projects.
Dyslexia means that the brain is creative, you look at the world in a different way, but I now know it’s not the worst thing. It is who we are. My brain is wired in a different way, but I am the same as everyone else. I want to do well, I want to get a degree, i want to have a good job!
By Zoe Morrissey
Photo by Alexandru Zdrobău on Unsplash
