Word Salad

Hello all you amazing people, I am back again with yet another ridiculous problem that comes with having Dyslexia. This time is on mispronunciations. Dyslexics can mix up sounds in multi-syllabic words such as "pasghetti" for spaghetti, "aminal" for animal more so than the average child.  Yes I do know all children start out having issues pronouncing words, but having dyslexia creates a little bit more of struggle when it comes to this not only as a kid but yes as a 19 year old college student. 

Side Note: It probably didn't help that growing up my Italian grandma, who can barely speak english, would talk to me and I would think that is how words were pronounced.

It is all cute and innocent when a little kid asks for panacakes for breakfast but when a college student is waiting in line at the pancake bar and asks for 2 panacakes people question how I graduated 5th grade. Still to this day I cannot pronounce ambulance, so instead of sounding like an idiot, I'll beat around the bush and try every way possible not to let myself say ambliance.

For some reason I have the hardest time with pronouncing names of vehicles, like limousine always came out as "lemonzene" which I don't even understand how the word lemon got in there but hey thanks dyslexia for that one! Also the big SUV made by chevy called a Tahoe is probably the hardest word for me to say. I always get confused if it is called a Tahoe or a Toeha. Classic mixup I know.

Anyways, as you can see speaking is a little tough for me sometimes, but it makes for some great laughs! And that is Aly's eye view!

Famous Peeps Like Me

Hey everyone, I know one of the problems I said I had growing up with dyslexia was I felt like an outsider, and like I was alone. But I remember growing up my mom would show me all these famous people with dyslexia and explain to me that dyslexia is NOT something that stops you from making it big in this world. So today I am going to list a few of these very successful people who have made it far in life with a "learning disability" and some quotes they have said about dyslexia. 

SIDE NOTE: If you want to see more you can go to the website where I found these. It is: https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/personal-stories/famous-people/celebrity-quotes-learning-from-challenges#slide-1 

Anyways, one of the people I came across that I feel said something that stood out to me was Henry Winkler, he is an actor, director, and author. You might recognize him from Happy Days as the Fonz, Click, Holes or A Christmas Carol, but as you can see he is a very successful man and dyslexia did not stop him from making it big in this world. When he spoke out about dyslexia he said, “Somebody asked me if I could go back and start again with a different brain, would I. Years ago I thought yes, I would, and now I know I wouldn’t. Because whatever challenges I had in school, I guess they forced me to where I am today. So I now see them as an asset.” 

Now I have to agree with him, if I was asked in middle school, or maybe even high school if I was given the opportunity to start all over with a new brain I would have said yes with no hesitation, but now with everything I have learned and with how far I have come (I mean come on I got into my REACH school and still attend it today!) I wouldn't change who I am and my dyslexia for anything. 

Another famous person who has dyslexia is someone by the name of Whoopi Goldberg, I have a feeling everyone knows who she is but if not, she is an award-winning actress and comedian who is well known for being on The View and in the movie Sister Act. When asked about dyslexia she states, “They thought I was lazy so they put me in the slow class. But my mom was a Head Start teacher, and she told me, ‘You’re not slow, you’re just different.’” 

Whoopi's mom is absolutely correct. Dyslexia is not a learning disability that categorizes someone as being "slow," dyslexia is a learning disability that makes someone different in a way of how we have to learn. We are more visual learners and there is nothing wrong with that. 

Two others that are very successful human being who have been diagnosed with dyslexia are Albert Einstein and Tom Cruz. I think you can say Albert Einstein was KINDA smart! 

I know that these are only some famous people that I have shared with you, but as you can see, dyslexia is NOT by anyway something to use as an excuse to stop yourself from doing anything. If dyslexia has taught me one thing, it is that I am not only unique but I am also very capable of keeping up with everyone else around me and following and exceeding my dreams! So for that I say thank you to dyslexia for making me the women I am today! And that is Aly's eye view!

Dyslexic Cartoons

This cartoon is just something that is supposed to be funny, yes obviously as a dyslexic I know that my UNDERwear goes UNDER my clothes, but they are just showing a stereotypical way that people think dyslexia works.

Okay so like I said in my "Letter to Satan" blog, god and dog is a common mixup for dyslexics, I mean it is just one a three letter word and especially lowercase, a "d" and a "g" are very similar.

This cartoon speaks to me as a dyslexic on a different level. I am awful at knowing my right from my left and I think that showing the shadow being different and confused from the actual person is genius and clever.

This cartoon made me laugh but this is not the way dyslexia works. The biggest question I get from people when I am asked about what dyslexia is like is always, "do all letters go everywhere or do you see letters upside down?" But that is clearly not the case. 

This by far is probably the most accurate cartoon I have come across. To this day I still mixup when I spell "angel" and "angle." Not only do I mix them up spelling wise, but when I read them I have to double check to make sure that I am saying the write word.

All of these cartoons are stereotypes that people think dyslexia is like, but most of them aren't really that true but the some are extremely true. And that my friends is Aly's eye view!

Independent young woman who don't need NO help!

Hey peeps, I know one of my big goals when I write these blogs is to always make my personality come out while people are reading them. I always try to make them fun and sarcastic because that is the type of person I am. But on this entry I want to talk about how dyslexia has made me mature..... in a way. When I say "in a way," I am talking about advocating for myself.

Most people with dyslexia have a hard time turning everything around (I mean not really because everything is backwards lol sorry back to being serious). Some people instead being positive and proving to themselves that they are just ask smart as everyone else they just don't put in any effort. But I've realized looking at dyslexia from a positive side has really made all the difference for me not only a a student but also as a human being. I started out extremely embarrassed at the fact that I have a "learning disability," because all I could think was the word "disability" and it was something that made me different and not normal like the rest of my friends. But as I've grown up I've learned to make light of the situation and realize that although I absolutely suck at reading, there are a lot of things that dyslexia has done for me to make me stand out in a good way. 

For example, I am insanely good at seeing key details to things, and if you need something summarized you can come to me because I will just repeat everything word for word right back to you because my memory is kinda insane. (Could I have been a parrot in another life? Hmmmm?)

Side Note: That also means if you've done something bad to me don't think I won't remember 4 years later!

Anyways, dyslexia has been something that has taught me different ways of going about life, but one thing I really succeed at is advocating for myself. I had to learn at a young age that in order to make sure I get what I deserve and need to learn and succeed in school, I need to make sure my teachers and administrators understand me and my dyslexia. In a way, advocating for myself taught me to be comfortable in my own skin and to be proud of who I am. This ability to advocate for myself has extended into all areas of my life and truly made me a pretty confident individual. 

So yeah sometimes having to go up to a teacher during class and let them know I have accommodations and that I may need a little more help in some areas can be very embarrassing. But I have learned that speaking up for myself not only in a classroom setting, but also in everyday life will get you further than sitting back and let yourself be walked all over. 

I have had teachers that don't understand, who feel extra time on a test, not using a Scantron or accommodations in general are unfair or simply unnecessary. And to them I simply say I'm sorry you lack compassion and you don't appreciate learning differences but perhaps after spending a year with me and seeing how these "unfair or unnecessary accommodations" allow me to learn and succeed like everyone else, you might just change your mind and even gain both a little insight and compassion for those who struggle. 

Everyone has their own battles in life, but how you choose to go about winning those battles is what will make you a successful person. And thats Aly's eye view!