The LD Advantage
Meet Jazmin
Q. When did you first learn you had Dyslexia? How did you react?
A. I first got diagnosed when I was 5 years old but at the time I didn’t understand it. I just thought there was something wrong with me because I couldn’t read until I was 11 and all my friends could do things I couldn’t begin to do.
Q. How do you personally define dyslexia?
A. I would define it as a different way of learning, for example, I learn very well with visual comprehension however some others with dyslexia work better with audio. I still often read things completely wrong even if I know the word because I switch letters around in my head if I’m not paying enough attention
Q. What are some misconceptions people have about dyslexia?
A. Most people think dyslexia is reading letters or writing them down backwards. This can be true in some cases but not very often. Dyslexia is so much more then simply reading letters and numbers the wrong way, it's how you learn and comprehend a variety of things. I do extremely well in some subjects but others, like math. I struggle a lot without a without a calculator because sometimes things aren't clear even if it it's a simple problem like 8+7.
Q. What are some of the positive characteristics dyslexia gives you?
A. I thrive in art, photography, drawing and most of all fashion. I could sew faster and more accurately then anyone in my classes at 13 and I do believe somehow having dyslexia allows me to focus myself into making patterns and draping because of the visual learning aspect that is due to my dyslexia.
Q. What are some things your dyslexia makes hard for you?
A. Dyslexia gets hardest when I do math and write the wrong number down or take 2 hours on a test because I'm not allowed a calculator. When it comes to teaching, I work much better with debate and discussion rather then lectures and taking notes.
Q. How does dyslexia negatively effect you in a classroom setting? What about any other settings?
A. I wrote about classroom setting above but when it comes to other settings it effects me in the way that I still get embarrassed if I read someones text wrong or read a sign out loud wrong.
Q. What kind of accommodations do you use in class and how do they help you maximize your learning?
A. A calculator helps me most of all and when it comes to other things i I can watch a movie or see an informal picture it normally sticks with me.
Q. Have the majority of your teachers been good at making sure you get your accommodations?
A. At my high school now (Independence High School) they are wonderful, they listen to what I need and not only my teacher. At my last school (Flex Academy) they were terrible, if a teacher simply didn't like me they would try to refuse to give me extra time and I would have to dispute it. They were very set in their ways about things and tried to make me do tedious tasks that didn't help me and took me away from the school work I needed to be doing.
Q. Has there been a time where someone such as a teacher or another student has disputed your accommodations?
A. When I first came to Flex Academy I had never been to a school before and when I went in the principle told me I shouldn't go there because they didn't have the accommodations I needed and he thought I wouldn't do well since I didn't have any grades to show him. Because this was a public school with few students, he couldn't refuse me but they tried to keep me from applying on time. My mother ended up standing outside with a picket sign and they finally let me in. When that principle got fired I became student body president and was considered a good student that should be looked up to because of my focus and academic standing.
Q. Are you proud to have dyslexia? Why or why not?
A. I am very proud to have dyslexia and I will probably be fighting for the rights of people with LD's for the rest of my life no matter what type of work i go into. Having dyslexia doesn't make me stupid or inferior because since I have it I can comprehend things a lot of other people can't.
Q. What kind of technology helps you combat your dyslexia?
A. I have a smart pen which lets me replay lectures at the exact spot I took notes in a book. They are also wirelessly transferred to my iPhone which makes me more inclined to go over my notes rather then opening the notebook itself.
Q. If you had the ability to get rid of your dyslexia would you? Why or why not?
A. Hell No! I wouldn't get rid of it because then I wouldn't be the person I am.