Because I am Dyslexic
I can understand a lot of things, that only I can understand!
The Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity
“Only I Can Understand” poem published in Creative Works for Young People
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
EDUCATING OUTSIDE THE LINES
APRIL 2018 - PRESENT
Guest Speaker for K-5 students to teach kids about ABILITIES!
LETTER FROM SCHOOL LEADER
I have to send you a huge thanks for yesterday at Indian Trail and Oak Terrace. I went to all of the classes today and did a presentation on hidden disabilities, and I started by asking each class what they learned from you.
Let me say - you blew them away!
They said the most amazing things about how smart you are and how they didn't know someone with dyslexia could be so bright and do so much. Apparently, the class you did at Indian Trail had a bunch of kids who have hidden disabilities and have to use specific apps and things you talked about. They are embarrassed and don't want to use accommodations, and then you come in and show them that these are just things to be successful.
You really did change some young people's lives…
Professionals in Learning Disabilities and Special Education (PLD-SE)
MAY 2019
Guest Speaker for special education teachers and professionals
DISABILITY AWARENESS - North Shore School District 112
APRIL 2019
Guest Speaker for K-5 students
Special Education Awareness Group at Lincoln Elementary School
MAY 2014 - 2018
Yearly Guest Speaker for third grade students
Everyone Reading Illinois - The Real Face of Dyslexia
NOVEMBER 2014
Guest Speaker for the community
Professionals in Learning Disabilities and Special Education (PLD-SE)
OCTOBER 2014
Guest Speaker for special education teachers and professionals
POETRY PRESENTATION
MAY 2018
Why is there a "Y" in dyslexia?
There's a D, probably an X, and also an I,
However, that wouldn't make sense because D-I-S spells… um never mind.
You’re talking to a person who might make an occasional left on red,
“Oh - I’ll teach you a lesson” the police officer said.
“Occifer I’m sorry, I could have sworn the speed limit read 53,”
“What are you dumb”, “no I am Dyslexic”, I plead.
It was that night, coming home from a party of fun
A Pi day party that is… 4.31?
Now, Pie is round but comes in many flavors and pairings.
Pumpkin, apple, blueberry… don’t ask me how to spell lemon meringue.
Silent U, Silent P, Silent Q, Silent G’s,
They all get left out, like Dyslexics from parties.
I text my friend Billy, what’s the deal? Should I be aware?
“BYOB” - don’t worry I’ll handle the BEAR.
Because I’m an intellect, I love to play games and babble,
Monopoly, Chess... but just not Scrabble.
My imagination is exceptional and I never conceive of the horrific,
I spend my nights in bed dreaming of flying over the specific.
And to be more “pacific” I’ll tell you a few,
I imagine flying to Austria to see a kangaroo.
Now I can't tell you if I’m going North, South, East or West.
As far as I’m concerned “Never eat soggy waffles” never made sense.
You know what did make sense to me? Life, I was handed melons,
But to read these words... I can't tell what I’m tellin.
As long as I’ve been good all year round,
Satan will come on Christmas and he will be snowbound.
So, I keep my glass half full, and my head held high,
Because I am Dyslexic, and its spelled with a Y...
DySlexia and Me
As a gifted dyslexic, I was the only student given a Mac Book in middle school so I could learn with my cognitive peers. I used assistive technology to level the playing field. When the kids asked me why, rather than go into a lengthy explanation, I told them I was sponsored by Apple. I wasn't the popular kid, but I was well-known and admired. I was the mathematician, the scholar, the brainy kid who was sponsored by Apple; why wouldn't I be? Most people who meet me don't know that I am dyslexic, but in order for my teachers to understand me and my unique way of learning, they need to understand dyslexia. I am an auditory reader, not to be confused with learner. I learn by using all of my senses, but to read, I listen. While learning has always been easy for me, school wasn't. Before middle school, I spent much of my academic day in classrooms with younger students reading material well below my grade and ability level. I made the best of the situation, but with time, the school knew my placement was not where I belonged. I consider myself lucky - I was born after the home computer was invented. When the opportunity of assistive technology was presented, I ran with it. Technology has freed me, and my passion for learning continues to evolve with each new opportunity I am provided.
According to the International Dyslexia Association, Dyslexia is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities. Dr. Sally Shaywitz of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity explains that the brains of people who are dyslexic are organized differently than non-dyslexics. So if you are dyslexic, the part of your brain that has to do with reading words automatically is functioning inefficiently, so no matter how smart you are, you will be a slow reader. People who are good readers are most often smart and intelligent people are most often good readers; however, when Dr. Shaywitz looked at dyslexics, she found a disconnect between intelligence and reading. Dyslexics can have a very high level of intelligence and be poor readers. The hallmark of dyslexia is an unexpected difficulty in reading, and people who are dyslexic are often the most creative people in society.
Left to right: third grade spelling test, middle school scavenger hunt, high school sophomore year, high school junior year and present… This is the handwriting of a dyslexic - this is my handwriting.
“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”
“A teacher sent the following note home with a six-year-old boy: “He is too stupid to learn.” That boy was Thomas A. Edison”
“Tell me and I forget.
Teach me and I learn.
Involve me and I remember”
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible”
“It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education”
“I learned that I love to read!”