Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines dyslexia as "a condition in the brain that makes it hard for a person to read, write, and spell." That definition doesn't do the learning disability justice. You can't truly understand what dyslexia is unless you have it or have seen someone you love struggling with it. I believe that's true for any learning disability. Having a learning disability doesn't make a person unintelligent; in fact, we learned in one of my education courses at Longwood University that people with learning disabilities typically have an average to above average IQ. Most people with learning disabilities tend to struggle in the courses dealing with their disabilities while excelling in the other classes. For example, a person with dyslexia would typically find literature and social studies classes more difficult, but they would do fairly well, even excel in some cases, in their science and math courses.

It would be safe to assume that a person with dyslexia would then choose a career in one of the STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) fields, but this wasn't the case for me. I am an English major pursuing a career as an English teacher, yet I have dyslexia. It took me longer to learn to read than my peers, and, even after learning, reading and writing have always been harder for me than for most. Dyslexia is more than mixing up letters and misspelling words. I once went an entire summer without reading, then started my junior year of high school unable to read. I've heard people compare reading to learning to ride a bike; they say it's something you never forget how to do once you've learned. That isn't the case for someone struggling with dyslexia. I have to constantly and consistently exercise my brain in order to be able to read and write efficiently.

In some ways, it was the challenge of English that attracted me to this field of study. Mostly, though, I became enthralled by literature because of its presence in my life. I had to read often in order to overcome my disability, and, in doing so, I learned to love to read. I learned to love the way that authors like Hemingway, Shakespeare, Dickens, Fitzgerald, and Poe could use the same twenty-six letters to form so many different stories. I learned to love the way an author could so perfectly articulate an emotion I'd been feeling. Soon, I learned to love putting words to paper and depicting how everyday day things, such as the wind against your skin on a hot Georgian summer's day, make you feel inside. I began to learn to love the thing that had once been the biggest obstacle in my life.

Being an English major with dyslexia isn't easy, despite my love for the subject. I love to read, but it takes me longer to read and comprehend the assigned reading than it does my classmates. I love to write, and I even find putting my thoughts into coherent words easy. However, I have to go over my papers and projects with a finer-toothed comb than most to check for errors. It is just as easy for me to express myself through written word as it is for me to make mistakes in my writing.

My disability is not a crutch; it is the driving force behind my motivation.