Feeling good about dyslexia

Joanna Crawford reveals how she turned dyslexia from a negative to a positive force in her life

Ilove talking about dyslexia, but it wasn’t always like this. For a long time, I struggled to come to terms with being dyslexic, and it wasn’t until I was 16 that I realised it wasn’t so bad after all.

I was diagnosed in Year 2, which is a lot younger than most dyslexics. Primary school was a breeze, apart from the times I was taken away for special support in school and afterwards, and most of the time I felt normal.

When the 11+ came around though, problems started to emerge. I always ran out of time and failed both exams. My dream of going to the local grammar school was shattered and I started questioning my abilities. Luckily, my parents appealed my case and I was given a place at a girl’s grammar school. From here on, my journey though the education system took a rocky path.

Tough times

I was trouble at school. I couldn’t focus and I fell in with a bad crowd, making a name for myself for all the wrong reasons. The thing is, nothing made sense to me. I had come from an average primary school and I was suddenly thrown in with girls who had gone to private schools, so they were already miles ahead. Maths lessons were a complete shock to me and the teachers didn’t appear to care that I didn’t know how to do long multiplication or division. Lessons seemed to fly by and I couldn’t catch up.

I remember breaking down during a times-table test; I just stared at the page, bleary eyed, feeling completely useless. I did have “support”, in a questionable sense of the word; I was taken out of lessons to learn how to do joined-up handwriting

I was trouble at school. I couldn’t focus and I fell in with the wrong crowd

I wasn’t the problem after all; the problem was the way I was being taught

and other pointless things, but this just made me fall even further behind. It felt like my school was a factory churning out good results, while I was an unfinished product that had fallen off the conveyor belt.

I faced a lot of criticism and negativity about my dyslexia from both my peers and teachers, who seemed to belittle something that I could not change about myself. I would hear things like “dyslexia just means you are bad at spelling”. Once, I was even questioned about whether it’s possible to be dyslexic in geography. Such comments ate away at my confidence and my mental health really suffered. I was constantly battling low self-esteem and depressive thoughts. I resented being dyslexic, believing that I’d never succeed because I was the problem.

Using my strengths

In Year 10, I was told that I wasn’t going to make it into sixth form because I wouldn’t pass my maths GCSE. Across all subjects, I was always either average or below average – something that seemed undesirable to a grammar school. As a last resort to keep me in school, my parents sent me to a tutor who specialised in dyslexia.

In my first session, I finally understood fractions. My tutor used visual and kinaesthetic learning techniques to appeal to my imagination. With each session, my parents and I were amazed at how easy it was for me to pick up maths equations and techniques. I was devouring each problem I was given and starting to enjoy what I was being taught. It seemed like a miracle, but it really wasn’t. My tutor understood what worked best for me and helped me recognise my own strengths and weaknesses. She made me realise that I wasn’t the problem after all; the problem was the way I was being taught, which was something I could change.

I applied this approach to the rest of my learning. Rather than focusing on what the teacher said was best, I focused on my own abilities and used them to help me learn. I was drawing on huge pieces of paper, using brightly coloured pens and revising by making up funny acronyms. Rather than assuming I wouldn’t be good enough, I transformed my learning experience into a dyslexia friendly environment.

I ended up with six A*s and four As at GCSE. I don’t think anyone could believe it, but I had worked so hard and the path to my future, which had seemed destined to lead to failure, now promised real hope.

About the author

After creating a short documentary at 17 years old, about how dyslexics are disadvantaged in the education system, Joanna Crawford was made an ambassador for the British Dyslexia Association. Now aged 22, she has a BA and MA from the University of Exeter, and is an aspiring journalist.

youtube.com (search “Jo Crawford dyslexia”) @JoCrawford310 @j0crawford

I transformed my learning experience into a dyslexiafriendly environment

From that time, I have always viewed my dyslexia as a positive. Of course, I have stumbled along the way. Before applying to higher education, for example, I was told that I shouldn’t look at the best universities, but that didn’t stop me. And there were days during my degrees where I would have a complete breakdown, believing that I couldn’t possibly read 50 pages in one sitting or write a 4,000 word essay. When I worked out how I could use my dyslexia, creativity and determination to my advantage though, everything became much more achievable.

It is extremely empowering to be able to use my dyslexia as a strength, rather than seeing it as a limitation, and this has opened doors to so many opportunities for me. If it wasn’t for my dyslexia, I would not be an ambassador for a dyslexia charity, I would not have spoken in the Houses of Parliament, and I wouldn’t have a masters degree from a great university.

I believe that I was fortunate because I was diagnosed early on and I had supportive parents who could also afford a tutor for me. I know that several of my friends who only found out they were dyslexic at university or later feel their opportunities were adversely affected as a result. With all the benefits that dyslexia brings, it is worrying to see people’s potential being curtailed due to a lack of support. Of course, this poses the wider question of whether our education system is doing enough both to recognise and support young dyslexic individuals.