As I mentioned in my previous post, I was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of eight. My third grade teacher got my parents to get me tested, as she saw me struggle in school. When I got my diagnosis back, my parents were worried about how my future learning would look. They were nervous if I would fall behind or not, and if I would succeed in school or not. As they looked at my report more closely, all the things my parents struggled with in school is what I struggle with. They sadly did not get the support they needed because they did not have a “physical disability.” They were basically ignored for help in school. They also did not have the technology that I have now. I think if they did have the technology that I have access to now, their lives and learning would have been much different.

I am very fortunate to have incredibly supportive parents who always got me tutors, extra support and an IEP for my dyslexia. As I started to get older and understood what work/did not work with my learning, technology has always been one of the biggest helpers with my learning.

One thing that I did not even notice till now is the fact of how good I am at typing on my computer. Instead of learning cursive in elementary school, I learned how to type as it was easier for me to type out my thoughts then write them down. I was typing in front of my peers last week and they asked me “how can you type and not look at the key board or even the computer screen?” For me, I have always typed and it has just become muscle memory. I can close my eyes and type and look away while typing. It is just natural for me however, my peers saw it as some sort of super power I have. Technology has always been apart of my life and something that I have always been use to having.

I would not have gotten here if it was not for every single one of my teachers, they have all shaped my learning and who I am now. They always supported me and were patient with me. Additionally, they gave me tools and strategies to help me. They are the ones who introduced me to computer programs to support my learning.

My must have tools are Gramarly, to help with my spelling, Google Read & Write, to read my essays to me and Microsoft Edge, to read my textbooks to me. However, Google Read & Write and Gramarly all coast money and also to have personal computer is quite expensive. In my next blog post, I will be looking at some potential cheaper alternative programs and some tools that are more accessible to everyone.

Here is me the day before my first day of kindergarten. I struggled to read and write in kindergarten and I think my face says it all in this photo.