Somewhere between 4-10 percent of the population have dyslexia, and although the experiences of people with dyslexia vary greatly, there are some things we can all agree on. These are five (of many) things we are tired of hearing.
1. So when you're reading, the letters float around and get all mixed up and turned around, right?
People with dyslexia often have trouble making sense of letters and numbers. Sometimes, the best way to explain this to people without dyslexia is using the metaphor of the letters physically floating around on the page. Unfortunately, somewhere down the line this metaphor has become accepted fact and people think all dyslexic people live in a constant state of hallucination.
2. But you're cured now, right?
Some people assume that just because a person with dyslexia has overcome their challenges, they are no longer dyslexic. But what these people fail to understand is that dyslexia is not a disease that can, or needs, to be fixed, it is a learning difference that affects the way people think and perceive the world, particularly languages.
It’s not like dyslexia is a big wall in the road to learning that people need tear down in order to be cured and learn just like everyone else. The dyslexic brain is like a stick-shift car, it operates a bit differently than most, but comes with a lot of advantages as well. Why cure something that doesn’t need fixing?
3. But how come you can read?
The magic of hard work and determination, just like anything else in life. Just because some people have to work harder than others, or learn in different ways, doesn’t mean they can’t learn. A lot of people with dyslexia need individual attention or different styles of teaching, but they are just as capable of learning to read as anyone else.
4. Oops, I made a typo; guess I was just having a dyslexic moment.
Dyslexia isn’t a moment you can have, just like gay isn’t a type of music and ghetto isn’t a type of shirt. It is something that people are born with and deal with every day of their lives, so there is no need to make light of it.
5. Oh, wow, I would never have guessed. You seem so smart!
Yeah, I am. And it’s got nothing to do with me being dyslexic.
