Me and dyslexia: An enigma to myself

 

Logo for my Unique Dyslexic Eye Show

Hi blog readers hope you are all well and feeling #fab. 

To those not feeling #fab about being dyslexic for whatever reason, and there are a lot of us feeling like this, I send positive vibes to you all.

I am not a person with #dyslexia, I don't suffer with #dyslexia I don't have #dyslexia. 

#iamdyslexic😎. 

I am very happy that I think, feel and see the world through a #dyslexic prism. #Dyslexia is an integral part of me. It is a part of my identity of who I am.

For a long time I was an enigma to myself, and to my teachers I think. I felt just as smart as other kids but somehow I couldn't show it in my school work. School became a place I didn't want to be in.

As many will know I am very positive about being dyslexic.


However, i was not always so positive about being #dyslexic. I'd actually didn't know I was #dyslexic until I was assessed as #dyslexic when I 35 years old. My assessment for  being #dyslexic was the first step to becoming more positive about being #dyslexic. It enabled me to put my experiences of school into perspective.

It was the starting point of my journey into understanding the enigma that was me.

But I also know there are so many #dyslexics out there who are not happy to be #dyslexic. Their life experiences of being dyslexic at school, in work and training have been so negative it eats away at self confidence, self esteem and erodes mental health well being. 

I know this because that's what my negative life experiences of being an un-assessed and unsupported #dyslexic did to me. I know from first hand experience that being #dyslexic can be a bit of a nightmare. I know this because of all the other dyslexics I have supported as a Dyslexia specialist.

I am often asked why I do my #dyslexia work. I often ask that question myself. I guess my answer is, "I don't feel I have a choice". I believe many of us have strong sense of injustice as a result we stand up and battle against it. I think this may be because so many of us experience injustice when we are at school because our education system fails us.

I did some research on when adults were assessed. Only 19% of adult #dyslexics were actually assessed at school. Many #dyslexics go through their whole lives without ever being assessed. Without even knowing they are dyslexic.  This is simply not good enough.

We must change how we think and talk about being #dyslexic and about dyslexia in general. We must move away from a medical discrepancy model of dyslexia that basically traps us behind a negative stereotypical, one dimensional image of dyslexia. It's a model that has nothing positive to say to #dyslexics or about #dyslexia. Its a model that has been imposed upon us by a non #dyslexic society that quite simply fails us.

That's why I founded Dyslexia Pathways CIC as a social enterprise. That's why I support and promote the social model of dyslexia. That's why I chose to found my social enterprise Dyslexia Pathways CIC. Simply because I believe the social model of dyslexia together with social enterprise is an empowering, positive and inclusive way forward. More to the point I saw it as a dyslexic / neuro diverse way forward.

Thanks for reading

Peace love and groovyness to you all

#PeaceLoveGroovyness

Steve McCue