Words are an author’s tool. We’re supposed to wield them with absolute precision, as any professional in their field would.
What happens when an author spells something wrong?
What happens when the wrong punctuation is used?
What happens if no one knows that the author could have a learning disability?
What happens when a person with a reading or learning disability loves to do one thing? Write. Even though that person hated English class and everything about it.
What if that person only knows what a verb is … is because of those commercials on TV?
VERB: it’s an action.
What if that person has no idea what a run-on sentence is?
And no matter how many times someone can explain it to them, they have to write it down in order to remember it.
It’s frustrating and embarrassing, because they know their words are not coming out correctly.
And even though they want to, it’s hard to join an online chat with others, for fear that they may spell a word wrong, or more than one word wrong.
What if people look at them differently because they spelled a word or words wrong?
What if they do join in? They don’t talk much, or maybe just a one or two word reply to most posts, and maybe smiley faces.
After all, they’re not going to jump in and say ‘Hey, I have_____could you please slow down so I can jump in the fun with you.’
How many authors/readers out there have ever thought about this?
How many authors/readers have a reading or learning disability?
How many authors/readers have family with a reading or learning disability?
Some of you may know, by reading my bio, that I tutor children and adults with Dyslexia. I am one of eight certified tutors for the Barton Reading & Spelling Program in the state of Florida.
Dyslexia is a reading disability that can be mild to severe. Dyslexia is often accompanied with other disabilities, such as SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder), Dyscalculia (Math’s dyslexia), Dysgraphia (Writing), and ADD, or ADHD. The list can go on, and on.
Most people associate Dyslexia with just reading letters upside down or backwards, but it’s so much more. There’s such a broader spectrum of what Dyslexia is, and the symptoms associated with it.
Dyslexia is genetic and can pass from one generation to the next. One brother may have ADHD, the other may have Dyslexia.
Dyslexia is in my family.
To learn more about Dyslexia, the signs of Dyslexia and the program I tutor, you can go to:
www.freewebs.com/flbartontutor
www.BrightSolutions.US
2 comments:
Great post. It's very important that we do recognize most of these issues and learn to deal with them properly.
Of course the other thing needs to be said is that we need to teach our kids to give a little less of a fuck about what people think...
THink about that for awhile.
Great blog, CA! And great website, too, I checked it out. I actually have a very mild dyslexia, not for mirror image (backwards) letters but for vertical reversals, if that makes sense: b and p are my most common problems. It sometimes happens when I'm putting notes on the board for a class, for example. Hasn't held me back, but I can sure understand how larger problems would be very difficult. Glad you're doing this important work!
Adriana
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