Dyslexia Stories 3

How can we discover other people’s dyslexia stories?

This is the 3^rd in a series of 9 blog posts by an adult member of Dyslexia Scotland that explore dyslexia stories or journeys.  In the previous blog post we explored what dyslexia stories are and how they are helpful.  In this blog post and the one that follows it, we will discuss the 2^nd key point of our series, namely other people’s dyslexia stories.  We will do this through the question ‘How can we discover other people’s dyslexia stories?’

We can discover other people’s dyslexia stories:

1)    In person; and through

2)    video; and

3)    audio.

Here are some examples.

1. Discovering other people’s dyslexia stories in person

By ‘in person’ I mean communication that takes place in a shared physical space like a room or train, rather than on social media.

1. Dyslexia Scotland meetings e.g. adult network, local branches
2. Dyslexia Awareness Week events such as the ones that featured Sam Barclay and Paul McNeill at http://www.dyslexiascotland.org.uk/sites/default/files/page_content/ECLDAW2014FinalProgramme29.9.14.pdf
3. Lexxic meet-ups – see http://www.lexxic.com/meetup
4. Meetings you organise independently e.g. informal ones with dyslexic friends or people you have met through dyslexia meetings and events

2. Discovering other people’s dyslexia stories through video

1. ‘Dyslexia’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErValSbWrZE

This film on the Dyslexia Scotland YouTube channel tells the dyslexia story of Sir Jackie Stewart.

2. ‘My Dyslexia Story’ http://www.klairedelys.com/2013/07/19/my-dyslexia-story

• Scroll down to the second black box entitled ‘MY DYSLEXIA STORY’
• In this video Klaire de Lys tells her story directly to the camera

3. Erin Brokovich http://www.makers.com/moments/kindness-one-teacher and

http://www.makers.com/moments/dyslexia-does-not-mean-dumb

• Erin Brokovich is the main character in a film of that name. She is also a real person who is an environmental activist and dyslexic

• In these powerful video clips the real Erin talks to the camera about her dyslexic experiences in primary school

4. The 1In5 Initiative’s ‘Being the One Videos Gallery’ http://explore1in5.org/what-is-dyslexia/reading-support/being-the-one-videos

• The 1In5 Initiative is a self-help dyslexia website run by an audiobook provider in the US, Learning Ally
• To date, there are over 20 dyslexia stories on the 1In5’s video gallery
• A wide range of ages is represented in these videos

3. Discovering other people’s dyslexia stories through audio

1. The Codpast https://thecodpast.wordpress.com/the-codpast

• The Codpast is a website which offers a series of podcasts free of charge. A new podcast is added every month

• In the podcasts, dyslexics are interviewed about their experiences. The interviews are very instructive because the interviewees say how they have overcome their difficulties and succeeded.

• The interviewer is dyslexic, so his questions are informed by his own knowledge and experience of dyslexia

• I find the conversational format of these interviews makes their content very accessible

In this blog post we have been starting our discussion of the 1^st key point of this series, namely other people’s dyslexia stories. We have done this by exploring 3 ways in which we can discover other people’s dyslexia stories. You can remember them by visualising yourself in a dyslexia storytelling convention. There are 3 rooms:

1. One room has lots of people in it. They are sitting in a circle, telling each other their stories
2. Another room has a video booth filming people as they tell their story
3. A 3^rd room has a recording studio, making audio recordings of people’s story.

Now imagine a 4th room with a large table that people are sitting round, writing their dyslexia stories. This mental image leads us to the next blog post where we will look at how we can discover other people’s dyslexia stories through the written word.

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