'The Human Side of Dyslexia'

142 interviews with dyslexic people telling their stories.
By Shirley Kurnoff, Oct 2001, price $24.95. ISBN-0-9703557-2-6

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This highly recommended book contains interviews with a very large number of dyslexic people. The following is just one example: MICHAEL JOHN, medical student, University of California Michael, 29, tapped into the services offered at the Learning Resource Center in undergrad school - a note taker, editors, spell checkers and extended time on tests. But now he works independently of them and likes it that way. I'm living proof that even someone who almost is a high-school dropout can graduate from college with the highest honors, and be in medical school. I did very poorly in high school. I knew I wanted to be a doctor and I felt I was smart enough to be in medical school, so I stayed in. I had one 10th-grade teacher tell me I was border-line illiterate and to shape up, without offering any help, without even suggesting I get tested for a learning disability. I had to write an in-class book report, but I never bothered to read the book because I hated reading. I put the assignment to one side, telling myself I was just a lazy student. On the day of the in-class report, I made up the author's name, the story, the characters, plot and climax. What else was there to do? I figured out I could make up the whole thing and the teacher would never be the wiser. Actually, back then, I felt clever to outsmart the teacher. I learned early on though to understand the "system." That's how I got through high school. On the flip side, I was a varsity swimmer. But, just as I was in peak shape the last semester of 12th grade, I was disqualified from the team. Why? I was failing French and the policy was that, if a student was failing a class he or she was dropped from varsity sports. I hated the class. I could speak fine, but I just couldn't master the spelling or grammar. I didn't know I had dyslexia. I just thought I was a "bad" student. I was definitely a "C" student in high school. I was a bit of a jock, a bit of a nerd, a surf bum and I had some friends. The college counselor didn't really understand me. I was never part of the college-preparatory scene. I didn't take the SAT because I had no chance of going to a good school with my grades. Family support kept me going. My dad, a clinical psychologist, always had confidence in me and that's what made the difference. The first few years at community college were the worst for me. But I got through them somehow. I wasn't diagnosed at the time and, having large loads of material to read, weighed me down. A few years later in grad school, it wasn't even the spelling of medical terms that was baffling (I love to spell those words). It was more that I couldn't spell common English words! I finally was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 22 at a Community College in Los Angeles. It happened when I went to see the English tutor. It was the first time she'd seen my original work, without the help of a word processor, so I wasn't able to spell check my work. Immediately, she said, "We need to get you tested." It's so important I found out because, at medical school, the workload is very intense. There are copious amounts of reading material. But outside school, I'm running into a slight roadblock. The national board of medical examiners refuses to give me accommodations for the medical licensing exam, even with elaborate documentation of my disability. Without extended time, the exam simply will be a measure of my reading speed and not my knowledge. I reconnected with some fellow students at my 10-year, high school reunion. Some guys were working in Target, others in investment banking. Then there I was, a medical-school student. John suggests: • Just get through "it" (kindergarten through 12th or college) It is not a measure of your intelligence. • It is only a measure of your ability to hold on and go for your dreams later.   Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk

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