Tuesday, October 4, 2011

The Bad Term

I have to start out by telling you that writing this post was hard to write because I had to think deeply about situations that hurt me in my past and the label that I live under.

The Bad term is what I call the stigma and label that comes along with having dyslexia. When people heard that you has dyslexia they seem to start looking at you sideways. With that simple statement you have turned their view of you upside down. Before telling them this you where normal and just like them, and now there is something “wrong” with you, or at least different about you. And to make it worst the thing that is “wrong” is invisible, so it sneaks up on people. Like sharks, spiders, or things in the dark- think about it people hate the unknown. There are many signs of dyslexia, but no one can walk down the street and tell you if you have dyslexia. So it shocks people when they find out about it.

And on top of being invisible, dyslexia is hard to communicate to people in how it affects us. I have a really hard time to find words, or examples to tell to people, and I like words. It is hard to share the daily frustrations and failures that are a part of our lives and expect people to understand. It is not human nature to tell people about what are our failures are in life. Especially when we think that no one will understand.

The hard truth is that some people are going to make decisions about you when they hear you have dyslexia. Here is a personal example from my past. This took place in my third grade classroom during one of the open houses that year. The open house had been going for a while and most of the parents and kids were just visiting with each other. I overheard one of my “friends” telling their parents that I had dyslexia and that I went to special education everyday, which was all true and I was not ashamed of this. To me it was just a part of my life.

The next thing that I know my “friend’s” parents came over to a talk to me. They made small talk for a little bit, and then said, “I am so sorry to hear that you have dyslexia.” To which I think I replied with something like, “Umm, thank you.” I mean what do you say back to that? They went on to say something that forever changed my life- “And that the only job you will every get is as a Wal-mart Greeter.”

I was in the third grade when these people outlined my whole path in life. Their opinions were that having dyslexia was a death sentence for having a real job or being a productive member of society. Since that day I have done everything in my power not to believe that opinion of me because I don’t want those people to define my life. Ever.

I try not to think about what people have said about my life and what I would end up like, since most of them have been really, really off base. And the only way to show what I mean is to tell you about me. So the next post I will be writing will be my story. Be excited!

Also if there is anything you would like me to talk about please feel free to comment and ask me to write a piece about that topic.

Tool #3- I wish that this was a perfect world where labels and stigmas don’t exist, but we don’t live there. My honest opinion about people, who label you, is to not be friends, or hang out with them. Most people are a little scared about a person that have a challenge they don’t understand, and my response to that it talk about dyslexia- the good things about it and the challenging parts of it. Help people to understand what is going on in your brain and that you are just like them. Only your brain is different. I know it is hard, but people need to hear about what it is like to be us. We are a part of society and we have a lot of good to offer to this world. Never forget that.

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