Time to start making a difference
I grew up with dyslexia, I knew what it felt like but I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t – at first at least – have a name for it. My dad was dyslexic (and still is, of course, because dyslexia can’t be cured). In that case, I was not unusual. Dyslexia is a largely inherited condition.
In time, I became a teacher. It took a lot of hard work because although we dyslexics are born with gifts (and more of this later), it comes at a price. Not the least of these is that the education system, and society, is heavily biased against people like us, who think differently. In the real world, our gifts give us great advantages (think of dyslecxics like Edison, Ford and DaVinci among others). But the Catch 22 (and it’s a beauty) is that to get into a position where our gifts can be used to the greatest benefit, we have to get through a traditional education system that is prejudiced against us.
After 15 years as a teacher, and now with a dyslexic child of my own, I work to help other dyslexics to achieve their potential. I offer teaching support to dyslexic children in the West Yorkshire area, where I’m based. My focus is not just on the problems dyslexic children face at school, but in empowering them to deal with the ongoing demands placed upon them by a society that is dyslexia-hostile.
Think about the difficulties that people face with everyday things like form filling – everything from tax forms, insurance claims, online shopping, VAT forms, passport applications, web browsing and all the rest. It’s often hard for most people – but it’s much harder for the one person in five who is dyslexic. To that end, we’ve designed this site in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the British Dyslexic Association. It’s a small step in the right direction. we have to look after our own, after all.
I hope you find the site a continuing source of good information and inspiration. If you need to get in touch with me, please do – just click here.