by Bethany
(Britian)
I was lucky and got diagnosed early. My grandparents are also dyslexic but due to their age got labeled "stupid". It did leave my grandmother who worked at my school aware she needed to fight for me to get assessed. Due to this I was given additional help, mostly in the form of reading every book in the school library.
With my Grandmother's help this extra reading put me, a dyslexic, at a reading level of sixteen years when I was ten. My spelling though was that of an eight year old. Fortunately my fast reading meant I had time to rewrite words in exams, and I finished primary school in the upper end of the class.
This proved a problem though, because my secondary school didn't know how to cope with a dyslexic who was smart. I got a scribe for exams but no other help. This caused a problem with teachers, who wouldn't accept my illegible homework.
At this time though I discovered I loved to create stories. At first they were the games and imaginative dreams of any child, but they stayed with me as I grew older. As my age grew so did the complexity, until I had to start writing things down or I'd lose my thread.
I wanted to become a writer, but when I said this to my peers they laughed stating a dyslexic couldn't be an author. This only served to make me more determined I would be one, and so I practiced writing for hours everyday.
My college was more supportive, mostly because I could type up my work which covered most of the problems I had left from my dyslexia.
Now I'm at university, studying English and Writing and working on my first novel.
I got a first for my Writing Practice's portfolio consisting of my own writing. So now I'm happy to laugh at everyone who told me I'd never be a writer. I've almost reached my dream, I'm the one who's done something to be proud of.