This blog is a follow on to what I was saying about not enjoying my proposal and treatment or anything academically. That reason is because I just cant put a sentence together easily than others. I’m a dyslexic. Dyslexia is when you cant use English as well as others and many more things to be precise. My dyslexia is complicated to explain but i’ll give it a good go but not too detailed as personally its not needed. I struggle with words. Pronouncing words, looking at words with out them moving or reading a sentence wrong (its like rereading a word 30 times over before it actually sinks in), spelling words (spellcheck is a God send), making a sentence or even thinking of what words mean or are used for. I have a lot more problems when it come to doing academic projects like keeping focused, understanding my own handwriting as it looks like spider legs, taking notes that I can understand and even keeping focused without my mind drifting off into outer space. So this make it really difficult for me to actually enjoy writing however I can do it but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.
I’m talking about this because it is a big deal for me with the progress i am making through out the year and the struggles I had at the start of doing the proposal and treatment to the end. I started off with my tutor handing me the module. At first I have to admit I was scared but That passed, Then I attempted it knowing I had a month to get it done, from then I didn’t stop trying to finish it. I bugged for 4 weeks the academic support group, asked for a mentor and hassled the dyslexia team. From all that I managed to get the proposal and treatment finished and presented at the date I was given. From that journey I managed to seek help with my dyslexia. One knowing I can see the support team anytime on campus, two Being able to see a mentor if struggling or support and three getting equipment which helps me to become more confident with words. One of those equipment’s i’m using now Audio Notetaker, At this current time I am speaking through headphone which have a microphone attached, typing down exactly what I am saying with out me having to struggle on finding a word or how to spell a word. Its amazing I feel like its easier to do writing this way than having to type it up by hand and struggle to use a thesaurus and dictionary. However I do need to work on academically writing but so far this is good enough for me.
I always look into inspiration when being dyslexia. I remember a TV personals Dom Wood. CBBC’s Dick and Dom in da bungalow (Bungalow, 2018) stated back in 2013 on CBBC Newsround, Dom reveals how his struggle with reading and writing made him to focus on his creative skills […] “It’s not actually a disadvantage being dyslexic, in some ways it’s a really, really positive thing,” he explains. “I’ve got to say, if it wasn’t for my dyslexia I wouldn’t be where I am today.” (Wood, 2018). I remember watching this as I was still In secondary school and saying to myself “I feel like that” (Davies, 2018) 5years down the line I have had my diagnose and I look up to Dom Wood. I looked into further research of famous personalities who are diagnosed with dyslexia. I found that Steven Spielberg has dyslexia and was diagnosed at 67 years old. Sources state that Spielberg says “I never felt like a victim,” he says. “Movies kind of saved me from shame…from putting it on myself, from making it my burden when it wasn’t.” (Additude, 2012). I respect Spielberg for many years. From his films to his stories, He was an inspiration to my film and tv diploma I did back in sixth form. To my excitement I found out he too was dyslexic just like me which made me feel more proud with my learning difficulty. However, there is a celebrity who I feel more sorry for them than anything extreme. That celebrity’s name is Tom Cruise (Cruise, 2018) sources says that Tom believes his religion has cured his dyslexia. “Tom Cruise, makes amazing pronouncements, one in particular about himself. That pronouncement is that Scientology cured his dyslexia.” (Scientology, 2018) I stated earlier that I fell sorry for him and I do. My reasons are that he genuinely thinks that his religion has cured his learning difficulty. No, I’m sorry to say but they haven’t. Yes, His religion has taught his ways to read more fluently but they haven’t cured him. The facts of dyslexia is that its a learning difficulty you are born with this difficulty and you aren’t able to cure it. You can simply learn to cope and have little ways to live with your difficulty, dyslexia isn’t always about reading and writing. Its also about everyday problems and that your brain is a little different to the average person. So therefore I’m sorry but Tom Cruises religion has brain washed him to think he has been cured when a fine fact you cant cure a learning difficulty.
Disclaimer: People who don’t understand dyslexia may think this is laziness however my medical records and my grades say otherwise. Yes I am dyslexic but a disability assessment has never limited my potential and never will.
Rachel
🙂
Bibliography
(2012). ADDitude. [Online]. [30 April 2019]. Available from: https://www.additudemag.com/steven-spielberg-dyslexia-hollywood-success/
Bungalow, D. (2018). Dick and Dom in da Bungalow (TV Series 2002– ) – IMDb. [online] IMDb. Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0398451/ [Accessed 30 Nov. 2018].
Cruise, T. (2018). Tom Cruise – IMDb. [online] IMDb. Available at: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000129/ [Accessed 30 Nov. 2018].
Davies, R. (2018). I feel like that.
Scientology, T. (2018). Tom Cruise Again Asserts Scientology Cured His Dyslexia. [online] Digitaljournal.com. Available at: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/268639 [Accessed 30 Nov. 2018].
Wood, D. (2018). Dom Wood talks about his dyslexia – CBBC Newsround. [online] Bbc.co.uk. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/20783004 [Accessed 30 Nov. 2018].
Rara's Blog 