Contents
What is dyslexia What causes dyslexia What are the signs Do you think you may have dyslexia Diagnosing dyslexia What happens before and after an assessment Examples of reasonable adjustments Guidance for managers and work colleagues Helping others at work My child may have dyslexia Be part of the network
Hello there.... My name is Hollie and I want to talk to you about empowering dyslexic thinking. For those who don’t know me, I am a graphic designer in Internal Communications and the Dyslexia Subject Matter Champion Lead for Specsavers as part of the Neurodiversity colleague network group. In 1997, when I was only 6, I was diagnosed with dyslexia. I was already experiencing a few difficulties with delayed speech and letter sounds, but I was lucky to have a newly qualified teacher who picked up on my ways of thinking and asked my parents to get a diagnosis - suspecting dyslexia. I’ll always remember the day I had my first assessment. Afterwards, my parents took me to McDonald’s and told me I had a special gift - and told me that I shared this gift with someone I greatly admired at the time, and still do. I had the same gift as Walt Disney (I’m still just as obsessed with Disney now as I was then). My parents taught me to be empowered by my gift, however this wasn’t easy as education is set up for neurotypical people, and not neurodiverse. I struggled to get GCSEs and a lot of schools, colleges and universities rejected me, even though I had the results I needed for what I wanted to do. I was even on a gifted and talented list for children in the UK, but because I was severely dyslexic, and needed certain support and understanding to be successful, I was unable to study with others on the list. I have been very lucky to have such supportive parents who fought my case to get me the support I needed to blossom in my skill set - as we say in the Neurodiversity network...if a flower doesn’t bloom, don’t change the flower, change the environment. Being diagnosed so young meant that my parents were able to learn about dyslexia as I was growing... at each stage...and they used what they had learned to help me learn about myself and my superpower. As my mum learned more about dyslexia, she decided to train as a dyslexia specialist teacher. As I was growing up, I hated it - I was often pulled out of the pool while on holiday to do specially designed key skill activities for dyslexic children - but looking back now I know she really did everything she could to make sure I got the best start in life - and I know how lucky I am. So...this is why I am here now. Everything I have learned over the years, and the support I got from my parents...I want to share that and pay it forward in Specsavers to inform, support and empower dyslexic thinking. Specsavers has been great for me - I am far more supported than I have been at any other company. We really are a family, and I want to help others be a part of our family.
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