Dyslexia Stories 2
This is the 2nd of 9 posts by an adult member of Dyslexia Scotland. (Please scroll down for earlier posts in ‘Dyslexia Stories’).
What are dyslexia stories and how can they help people?
The first blog post in this series introduced the series and gave an overview of its content. We are now going to discuss our first key point, phrased as the question ‘What are dyslexia stories and how can they help people?’
A. What are dyslexia stories?
A dyslexia story, or dyslexia journey, is a dyslexic’s account of their experiences as a dyslexic. It describes the effects of dyslexia on their life, for example in learning, work and personal life.
B. How can dyslexia stories help?
1. Dyslexia stories give dyslexics a sense of belonging
There is a book entitled ‘The dyslexic adult in a non-dyslexic world’. This phrase conveys how I often feel – isolated and at odds with the world. However, when I hear other dyslexics talk about their experiences, I feel that I belong – not to the world, but to a group within it. Many dyslexics are excellent storytellers. They can talk about their dyslexia journey vividly and passionately. Their stories inspire me and give me hope.
2. Dyslexia stories help people to accept your dyslexia
Retelling other people’s dyslexia stories might normalise dyslexia for people around you. In other words, telling people you know about other people’s dyslexia might help them to accept yours. It lets them see that you are not the only one with dyslexia.
3. Dyslexia stories raise dyslexia awareness
Dyslexia stories:
- give people who do not have dyslexia an idea of what life can be like for dyslexics;
- let people see how the nature and impact of dyslexia can vary from individual to individual.
This blog post has:
- explained what a ‘dyslexia story’ or ‘dyslexia journey’ is; and
- explored how dyslexia stories can help people
In our next blog post we will start discussing our 2nd key point, phrased as the question ‘How can we discover other people’s dyslexia stories?’
References
- Ellen Morgan and Cynthia Klein: ‘The dyslexic adult in a non-dyslexic world’. Published by John Wiley & Sons, 2000. ISBN 978-1861562074.
A life less ordinary 