To My Multiple Learning Disabilities,
I hate you, but I love you for making me into the person I am today.
You make it so I can't be like other students. That "easy exam" that everyone is talking about, isn't easy for me. Yeah, that exam where "all you have to do is, read over the study guide and you'll be OK." That's the exam I have to study days for just to come close to getting that information in my head. Yet, I still come out with a worse grade than my classmates even though they just crammed the night before. You are the most frustrating thing I have ever had to deal with and have been the root of many of my struggles.
Not being able to express my feelings the right way to my family or friends, having to check the clock six times before remembering what it said, not being able to get a story or idea out, reading something five times to get an idea of what it meant, wondering why the heck that girl got a higher grade when I studied 10 times harder are just a few of the things you make me struggle with. You are the reason my GPA is not equivalent to my potential, work ethic or even my intelligence. That number between 0.0 and 4.0 that society looks at to see if I am smart enough, is not the correct number because of you.
You made my confidence in what my future holds so low. You made it so I didn't believe in myself. You made me think I was on the same level as someone that didn't study, care about their studies or their future. You make it so when I get a below average grade on something that I studied for, I had to inform the professor of my disabilities so she didn't think I didn't care. You made it so people looked at me differently. You make it so when I get that extra time or help, other students think that's why I did better than them. When in reality, if my brain remotely worked the same as theirs, then I wouldn't need any extra help to kick their butts.
You also made me into a person I am proud of. Someone that is one of the hardest working people I know. It took you to bring me to my lowest I have I ever been, to come back up and realize that I don't care how much you stink. I am 10 times better than you make me feel. You taught me to blow it in every teacher's face that told me that I wouldn't "succeed" in college. You taught me that I am incredibly intelligent even though it might be very difficult to write it down or tell people my thoughts or answers. As long as I know, that is enough. You made me see, that when I am not accepted into something because of my test numbers, it is their fault for not looking beyond that, to find out that I was one of the best candidates. You taught me that to succeed, I need to climb a mountain 10 times higher than the average person and I accept that.
No matter how many times I throw my books or break down crying because of you, I am grateful that you made me into me. Someone that can be proud of themselves now even though they aren't at the top.
Sincerely,
One Of Your Billions Of Victims
I have multiple learning impairments, early in my schooling my teachers and parents noticed something that was not right with me. I just wasn’t learning nor processing the same way that most kids were when it came to language arts and my potential. Including dyslexia, that was diagnosed in early grade school. It wasn’t until late in my high school career that they finally determined the major problem, which was that I had no working memory. Lastly, ADHD (the least annoying disability) was discovered during my first year of college. One of my biggest accomplishments is that I have been able to overcome the massive frustration of my inability to learn as easily as others.
I wouldn't have been able to overcome it without my family's help. My sisters were always cracking jokes about my struggles (which taught me to laugh about it). My mom was always yelling at the teachers that were discouraging me. Lastly, the most important one was my father that never let me call myself stupid and introduced me to this amazing quote, "Promise me you'll always remember, 'You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.'" -- Winnie the Pooh
