Dyslexia was a word that I didn’t understand much as a child. As a second-grade student I went once a day to sound out letters, write letters and to practice reading. I didn’t understand why I was sent to this classroom. All I knew was that I thought the class was boring. Day after day I would go through the flash cards with sounds A Apple, P Preacher. Finally, one day, I asked my mom why I was in the class. She explained to me that I had a condition that effected my learning. The condition was called Dyslexia.
According to the International Dyslexia Association, Dyslexia is a brain disorder that effects two main abilities, and that is to read and spell.
There are many myths that people generally hear about Dyslexia. I have decided to discuss three of them.
People with Dyslexia can not read. This myth is false. I struggled to read, however with proper support and training I can read very well.
People with Dyslexia see the words backwards. This is false as well. I may get my letters and sometimes numbers backwards, but I don’t see the words backwards.
People with Dyslexia can not be successful. This is completely false. Many famous people have Dyslexia and are successful. I see myself as a successful person. With technology and hard work Dyslexia doesn’t have to control me. I can overcome it.
What are some myths that you have heard about Dyslexia? Let me know down in the comments below.
Today’s guest post is from author John Sanders. He write on all different kinds of topics including the eye condition, Nystagmus. Thank you John for being a guest. Please be sure to check out John’s social media links and his books and posts.
Tell me a bit about yourself? – Born in the UK in the late 1950s, I moved around a lot as a child which was an education in itself. I worked as a translator, journalist and manager of the Nystagmus Network. Now I live in Wales and am fortunate enough not to have to do paid work anymore. That said, I still give the occasional talk about Nystagmus and volunteer with several charities. I also try to grow vegetables and fruit on an allotment which means struggling against slugs, pigeons, weeds and weather.
What made you want to choose a career in journalism or writing? – No great plan. It was mostly by accident. My mum saw a job ad which didn’t involve driving. One thing led to another and I became a translator. Eventually that opened up an opportunity to become a journalist where the pay was better and the work more interesting. I missed my colleagues from translating though.
What has been one of the hardest pieces you have written? – Not so much written, but the Dunblane school massacre in Scotland in 1996. That day I was sub-editing for an online news agency as the story unfolded. That meant I was the person checking the copy and pressing the button and sending the story out to screens around the world piece-meal as it happened. Initially all we had were reports of an incident at a school in Scotland. As the minutes and hours ticked by, it became apparent that children were dying and it wasn’t accidental. That was a horrible day. The British Government changed our gun laws following the Dunblane massacre. We’ve not had an event in a school like that here since.
What made you want to write the Northwick stories? – Through fiction and drama you can often reach a larger audience – and have a greater impact – than simply trotting out facts and producing information sheets (although these have their place). Opinion-changing films about illness and disability that spring to mind are “My Left Foot”, “Rain Man”, “The Elephant Man” and “Children of a Lesser God”. One year I had to write up the Nystagmus Network annual open day for the charity’s newsletter. I was fed up (as a journalist) of reading dreary reports about meetings and events. So from almost nowhere sprang the idea of taking a humorous look at the open day through the eyes of the bear we’d raffled to raise money. Some people liked the story (others didn’t), but there was enough support for me to carry on writing about the world from Northwick’s flickering perspective.
What has been the most challenging part of having Nystagmus? –What has probably frustrated me most is how hard it is to learn about how nystagmus affects us. And I’m sorry if this upsets anyone, but after years of thinking about this issue I’ve concluded that – based on the evidence available — much of the blame lies with the medical profession. I know some wonderful people in the medical world who are exceptions to this rule. But so many people’s lives would be so much easier and less stressful if the world of ophthalmology in particular changed the way it communicates to patients who have nystagmus. And, from talking to other people, this applies to other eye conditions too. Instead of simply complaining, I’m one of a small group of people developing a Nystagmus Care Pathway (see https://www.bioj-online.com/articles/10.22599/bioj.126/) which we hope hospital eye departments will adopt one day.
If you could give any piece of advice to a beginning freelance writer what would it be? – A few things: Read good writers. Write short sentences. Be wary of how you use adjectives. And try to write something every day.
What was one of the hardest things that you struggled with in school? – Sport obviously (because of dodgy sight), seeing the board, having to take part in activities I couldn’t see, glare from windows. But also the dreary uniformity — which contributed to making life harder for anyone who didn’t quite fit the norm.
Has Nystagmus impacted your career choice? – I suppose so, but I think most of us are limited one way or another: for instance where we are born, who our parents are, where we live, the subjects we choose to study and to drop early on in school. I was lucky to find work I could do and enjoyed (most of the time anyway).
Has Nystagmus influenced you as a writer (as in how you actually get the writing done, etc)? – Possibly in more ways than I realize. If you’re vision impaired and going along to news conferences you have to develop strategies to get hold of information other people can see and take for granted. On a positive note, not seeing very well has made me more aware of other senses and therefore not limiting myself to describing the world purely in visual terms when I write. Nystagmus was one of the factors that prompted me to go freelance and work from home, mostly by phone and email. It’s so much easier than working in an open plan office (crazy environment for writing anyway) where people generally forget you don’t see the way they do.
Let’s have some fun with these last few questions!
Sweets (which is the British word for candy) or Biscuits (which is the British word for cookies)? – Dark chocolate (candy).
Tea or coffee? – Both.
Bed made or unmade? – Not something I ever think about!
Favorite author? – I’m impressed by people who can choose favourites (English spelling). I’ve read a lot of books by very different authors and know that my tastes have changed and continue to change.
Favorite Food? – See my answer on books. Maybe I’m just indecisive?
Please list your links where people can find your work or if you want how people can reach you:
September has quickly come and gone. A lot of things have been happening in my life.
Movement is the first pillar in my saying this year. I have gotten very close to my weight loss goal. I only need to lose three more pounds and then I will be at my healthy weight range. What has helped me make steps toward this goal is a lot of encouragement from my family and friends. I found a workout program that I love, and I have been doing it pretty regularly.
I have turned in my step four for my business plan. I have yet to hear anything back except that my caseworker liked what he saw. I have sent in my teaching course for review too. It is all about waiting to get feedback.
Patience has been growing too. I broke my tripod this past month and I had to order a new one. I had to be patient until my new one arrived. I had to sit at my desk and record two of my weekly YouTube videos, however it is better to do something than nothing.
Positivity has been great! Duke ended up going to the vet this past month. He had an allergy; thankfully his vet was able to get him on some medicine to help him feel better. He is now back to his goofy self.
I have been setting small goals for myself. One of my goals was to send a care package to a friend. He really enjoyed the goodies that I sent him. My next goal I have set for myself is to go and get my passport.
What goals did you achieve this month? Tell me in the comments below. Remember you are worth it.
Welcome back to my mental health series! If you have not read my previous post please do so. This will help explain more about what happened previously, and it will help this post make better sense.
The weeks flew by as I waited for my first therapy appointment. As the days got closer to my appointment, I became more anxious. I wanted more information on what I could possibly expect. I looked on YouTube and found a Kati Morton video. The video explained that more than likely I would be filling out some paperwork about how I was feeling, symptoms I was having, and that I would fill out information for my insurance. After watching the video, I felt a lot better.
The day of my appointment I got to the office early, and the office manager was kind and welcoming. She took my insurance card and made a copy for my file, and then took my $20.00 co-pay. I had to fill out three forms. The first form asked for basic information such as my contact information. The second form was a questionnaire about what problems I was having. I was having problems with anxiety and depression. If I had any physical or emotional symptoms from these problems, such as problems sleeping, worrying, etc, and what I wanted to work on for my short- and long-term goals. The third and final sheet I had to sign was a privacy policy.
Once I turned all that paperwork in I waited for my appointment. My therapist came out and introduced herself; we went back to her office. Once I was settled, she and I went through some of the information from the forms. She asked me questions such as who was in my support network, what were the current symptoms I was having, and what I was already doing to get better on my own- some examples of this were reaching out to friends and exercising.
We discussed a further treatment plan. One of the main suggestions that she made was a change of diet. She wanted me to try a diet known as the no-white food diet. This is a diet where you don’t eat white food such as candy, soda, pasta, bread, etc. Instead you either swap out those foods for whole-grains or an alternative. Some examples of switching out the white foods for whole grains are bread and pasta. Sometimes you either can find sugar free things to enjoy such as the candy and soda or sometimes you have to go without.
Another thing she suggested was to write in my personal journal. This was to help get me thinking and to help me start to process my own emotions. Lastly, she suggested that, despite having transportation issues, to try to reach out to my friends more and to get out of the house more.
I felt that my first therapy appointment was a good one. I knew that it would be a long road to recovery, but I had made the first true step.
Author’s note: I am not a medical professional. I am just sharing my own personal experiences. If you are concerned about your physical or mental health please seek proper medical care.
As always there are rules that have to be posted with this award-I always forget them. 😊
Thank your nominator
Recognize Georgina from Chronillicles as the creator of the award and include her link https://www.chronillicles.com
Use logo somewhere in the post
Answer your nominator’s questions
Write 5-15 of your own questions – they don’t have to be illness related!
Nominate 5-15 other disability, chronic illness, mental illness or special needs bloggers Comment on each of your nominees’ latest posts to tell them they have
Thank you, Failure to thrive no more, for this nomination and thank you to Georgina, from the blog, Chronillicles for making this award possible.
Here are the questions from Failure to Thrive no more.
What is your ‘why’ for starting your blog? I started my blog almost ten years ago! I had to do ten blog posts for a grade in one of my classes. Since that time, I started blogging and never really stopped. Now I want to help inspire and educate others who have my eye condition, Nystagmus.
What is your coping strategy? My coping strategy for my disabilities is to learn to adapt to my needs. I may need to take a few minutes to rest my eyes when they are sore. I may need to use some adaptive technology to help me with my visual impairment. It all depends on the day and my needs.
What is your favorite movie? Why? My favorite movie? Hmm. Frozen because I like the history of where the movie came from.
What is your favorite social media channel? Why? I love YouTube. I like seeing other people’s lives.
If you could tell your younger self one thing, what would it be? That my life would be difficult at times, however I walk in God’s grace which is beautiful.
My questions for the nominees are:
What is your favorite food?
What is your favorite time of day to work? Why?
Why did you start blogging?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
If someone gave you $100 what would you do with it?
I would like to nominate the following people for this award.
As I sit here, I must admit I feel lost for words. This past month has come and gone with a blink of an eye.
Movement, to be honest, I feel I am lacking. My weight loss journey has gone to a stop. I have been feeling slow and tired. One of the phrases that keeps coming to my mind is, life is about movement and enjoyment, not fear and anxiety. I have been letting my anxiety get the best of me, and I know this is not a good thing. I have been taking some self-care steps, such as reading, talking to friends, and getting extra sleep, to manage my anxiety.
For those of you that have been asking about my book, please have patience. It is in the hands of my editor. Once it is edited, it must go through another check by my caseworker before it is published.
Patience has been a hard thing for me to grasp. Have any of you felt stuck in life? I have been feeling that way. I really want to get to my next phase of life. Once again, my friends and family reminded me to “keep going until God moves you.”
I have a lot to tell you when it comes to positivity. For those of you who don’t know I have been working with Vocational Rehabilitation to help me get my business off the ground. I had a meeting with my caseworker, and he is happy with my progress. I hope to be graduate from Vocational Rehabilitation in the near future.
I was made top fan of the week for one of my favorite charities. This made me very happy.
Lastly, I was nominated for the Liebster Award.
I have a lot of fun things planned for the month of September. How was this month for you guys? Let me know in the comments below.
