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Where does your dyslexia story begin ?

At a very young age, I struggled to copy sentences from the whiteboard in class, didn't develop my reading skills at the rate of my peers and definitely couldn't spell. The awareness around dyslexia didn't exist as much as it does today and I was considered naughty for 'not trying hard enough'. I found this immensely frustrating even as a young child. My parents spent hours and hours with me trying to help develop strategies- I can't say that at the time I appreciated this I think my parents would want it on the record that I threw many a tantrum at all the extra work I was having to do! They could see me trying and still struggling with the basics so found me an assessor outside of my school, who immediately diagnosed me with dyslexia (in primary school) I was lucky and fortunate enough that I was surrounded by people outside of school who could support me and explain to me what dyslexia was and I felt relieved by the diagnosis.

Is there an unexpected twist or turn?

I continued struggling at school with my parents arguing with teachers about the level of support I should receive. I was bored of all the books they were giving to me, never quite able to move onto the library books all my peers were able to read. One day I was given the green light to search the shelves for something to read and immediately saw this book called Harry Potter. I picked it up and couldn't believe what I was reading. It is still a very difficult feeling to put into words. I was overwhelmed by a magic in literature that I never knew could exist. I was able to read the book and not only that, but I enjoyed it. It was the catalyst that sparked a love for reading. I found that although I still struggled with reading it was something I could enjoy. To the surprise of everyone all those years ago I continued English to A-level, something that little nine-year-old me would never have believed.

Dyslexic challenges

Reading was and still is a massive struggle for me. It took many, many years to begin to enjoy reading because I found it so hard. Quite often I get to the end of a sentence and have no idea what I just read. Spelling is also a difficulty that I still struggle with.

Dyslexic strengths

Being diagnosed with dyslexia gave me motivation. I realised I would have to work in a different way than my peers and I would have to work much harder to get to the same level. I was determined to get there. The work ethic and motivation has helped with all aspects of my life.

What would you say to inspire others?

I was once told that most of my peers can get from A to B in a straight line, whereas I would go from A to B in lots of twists and turns but still get to where I needed to be. I have reflected on this a lot as an adult and although it's a very basic description that was given to me as a child, I still stand by this. There are many ways to learn and many different ways to create strategies that work for you. There will be one out there that helps you. Dyslexia is just a word that describes the struggles that we face it is not a word that defines our limit. We can still get to B we just find a different way of doing it.