Living and Thriving with Dyslexia: Turning Challenges into Success

Hi, Im Scott, and I am dyslexic. wRiting has alwayz been a chalenge for me, and honistly, it still is. But today, I want to share my story with you. I’m riting this blog without using any tools like Grammerly or spell-checkers or AI. So, if you notis spelling mistaks or grammer errors, that’s just me being me. This is how I rite when I don’t have teknolgy to "fix" me.

Dyslexia is a part of who I am. It’s not somthing I can turn off or ignoor. It’s like having a filter on ur brain that mixes up leters, words, and sumtimes even thots. But it’s also taught me to think diffrent, to be cretive, and to find solushuns that others mite not see.

Growing Up Dyslexic

I found out I was dyslexic wen I was in kindgarten and also that I had a processing disorder called auditory and visual memory loss (APD refers to conditions where the brain has difficulty processing auditory or visual information). I had to go to special schools for students with disabilities and also be held back a year. Back then, it felt like a curse. I couldn’t spel words rite, no matter how hard I tryed. Reading out loud in class was terrifing becuz I’d stumbl over words, and kids would laff. Teachers didn’t alwayz understand, and I was often labeld as "lazy" or "not trying hard enuff." ??By the time I ?made it college and gradiauted highschool and college with honers.?? I had embarced many waves of technology from using a word proceser, computers, books on tape(yes tapes), and eventually AI. At college it was still a huge struggle because I had to constantly advocate for myself with professors to give me extra time and be able to write papers using a word processeor or computer or even have a proof reader.? I was in a program that was suppose to support these efforts but at the time Professors still where not fully on bord thinking that you had an advantage but the reality was it was just making things equal. a Even when I had kids of my own reading them stories out loud was very stressful because at some point early on they can actual read outloud better then me.???

But the truth is, I was trying harder than anyone cud imagine. I just needed a diffrent way to learn and tools to help me.?

?How Teknolgy Changed Evrything?

Fast forword to today, and I can honistly say that teknolgy has been a game-changer for me. Tools like spell-checkers, text-to-speach software, ?AI and apps that help me organize my thots have made a huge diffrence. They’ve leveled the playing feild and allowed me to focus on what I’m good at insted of being held back by what I struggle with.

For exampel, I use text-to-speach software to reed long dokuments or emails (speechify). It helps me proces informashun faster and more acuratly. I also rely on apps like Grammerly (tho not for this blog!) to catch spelling and grammer mistaks. Without these tools, I wudn’t be able to comunicate as efectivly as I do today. Now you add AI in the mix and I can actually rite emails that convey the message I want with the my voice and people can read and understand what I rite.???

?Embracing My Mistaks?

One of the bigest lessons I’ve lerned is that it’s okay to make mistaks. Dyslexia has taught me to be pashent with myself and to focus on my strengths. I mite not be the best speller, but I’m creative ,analytical, resourceful, and determind. Those qualitees have helped me succed in ways I never thot posible. Additionally I am very transparent and vocal about my challenges as I want to hold the power,? If I tell people I am dyslexic then there is nothing they can say to me that will bother me, I own the narrative.??

My mistaks are a part of who I am, and that’s okay. I am lucky to be able to solve problems and think differently than others, I look at this as a strength of mine. I also believe the reason I got into mathematics and problem solving is my whole life has been about solving problems wether it be figuring out how to rite better or solving a business problem.? Challenges have always driven me from losing the ability to speek for a year at 15 to finding out I was a type one diabetic at 21 and lastly to being dyslexic and having a processing disorder. ?Additionally, all of these things played into having massive anxiety that has to be dealt with among these other challenges.? I work hard everyday to find the positive, even though my brain wants me to look at the negative but I mak a choice to be happy. All are who I am and I love that it has made me a hard working and compassionate person that can think outside the box.?

?A Mesage to Others with Dyslexia?

This is just a glimpse into my life where the challenges never stop and I never expect them too, so all I can do is embrace my challenges and embrace methods for helping solve the challenges. The anxiety and fearI that comes with you’re dyslexic is normal but I want you to know that you’re not alone. It’s not always easy, but it’s not imposible either. With the rite tools and support, you can acheve anything you set ur mind to. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or to use teknolgy to ur advantage. It’s not cheating; it’s leveling the playing feild. Use your voice that is the only way to be heard.

I have been mores successful in my life then anyone including myself ever expected because I put in the work and embrace it.? My very first evaluation from psycolgist said that my parents would be lucky if I gratiated highscool.? Guess what they where wrong I am out in the world kicking ass and thriving thanks to support from friends and family and of course teknology.?

And to anyone reading this who doesn’t have dyslexia, I hope this gives you a glimps into what it’s like. Dyslexia isn’t a weakness; it’s just a diffrent way of thinking. And sumtimes, thinking diffrent is exactly what the world needs.

Thank you for reading my story. If you notis any mistaks in this blog, that’s okay. They’re a part of me, and I’m proud of how far I’ve come.

The same article was written using AI and Grammarly to fix mistakes.

Prompt:? I have dyslexia, and I need help improving my writing. Please correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Ensure the writing flows naturally and is easy to read. Pay special attention to common dyslexia-related issues, such as misused homophones (e.g., ‘their’ vs. ‘there’), letter reversals, and word order mistakes. Keep my original tone and intent intact while making the text clear and polished.

Hi, I’m Scott, and I am dyslexic. Writing has always been a challenge for me, and honestly, it still is. But today, I want to share my story with you. I’m writing this blog without using any tools like Grammarly or spell-checkers. So, if you notice spelling or grammar errors, I’m just being me. This is how I write when I don’t have technology to "fix" me.?

Dyslexia is a part of who I am. It’s not something I can turn off or ignore. It’s like having a filter on your brain that mixes up letters, words, and sometimes even thoughts. But it’s also taught me to think differently, be creative, and find solutions others might not see.?

Growing Up Dyslexic?

I found out I was dyslexic when I was in kindergarten. I was also diagnosed with a processing disorder called auditory and visual memory loss (APD), which means my brain has difficulty processing auditory or visual information. I had to attend special schools for students with disabilities and was even held back a year. Back then, it felt like a curse.?

I couldn’t spell words right, no matter how hard I tried. Reading aloud in class was terrifying because I’d stumble over words, and kids would laugh. Teachers didn’t always understand, and I was often labeled "lazy" or "not trying hard enough."?

But despite these challenges, I graduated high school and college with honors. Along the way, I embraced waves of technology—from using word processors and computers to listening to books on tape (yes, actual tapes!) and eventually leveraging AI.?

College was still a huge struggle. I constantly had to advocate for myself with professors to get extra time on assignments and permission to use tools like word processors or proofreaders. While in a program designed to support students like me, not all professors were on board. Some thought these accommodations gave me an "advantage," but they simply leveled the playing field.??

Even when I became a parent, reading stories out loud to my kids was stressful. At some point, they could read out loud better than I could.?

The truth is, I was trying harder than anyone could imagine. I just needed different learning methods and tools to help me succeed.?

?How Technology Changed Everything?

Fast forward to today, and I can honestly say that technology has been a game-changer for me. Tools like spell-checkers, text-to-speech software, AI, and apps that help me organize my thoughts have made a huge difference. They’ve leveled the playing field and allowed me to focus on what I’m good at instead of being held back by what I struggle with.?

For example, I use text-to-speech software like Speechify to read lengthy documents or emails. It helps me process information faster and more accurately. I also rely on apps like Grammarly (though not for this blog!) to catch spelling and grammar mistakes. Without these tools, I couldn’t communicate as effectively as I do today.?

Now, with AI in the mix, I can write emails that convey my message in my voice, and people can understand what I’m trying to say.??

?Embracing My Mistakes?

One of my biggest lessons is that it’s okay to make mistakes. Dyslexia has taught me to be patient with myself and to focus on my strengths.?

I might not be the best speller, but I’m creative, analytical, resourceful, and determined. These qualities have helped me succeed in ways I never thought possible.?

I’m also very transparent and vocal about my challenges because I want to own the narrative. If I tell people I’m dyslexic, then there’s nothing they can say to me that will bother me. I take pride in my story.?

My mistakes are a part of who I am, and that’s okay. I’ve learned to see dyslexia as a strength. It’s made me a problem-solver, so I gravitated toward mathematics and analytical thinking. My life has been about solving problems—figuring out how to write better, tackling business challenges, or managing personal struggles.?

I’ve faced many challenges, from losing the ability to speak for a year at age 15 to being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 21 and, of course, living with dyslexia and a processing disorder. These experiences have also contributed to massive anxiety, which I work hard to manage every day.?

Despite it all, I choose to focus on the positive. My brain might want to dwell on the negative, but I consciously choose to be happy. These challenges have shaped me into a hardworking, compassionate person who can think outside the box.?

?A Message to Others with Dyslexia?

This is just a glimpse into my life. The challenges never stop, and I don’t expect them to. All I can do is embrace my struggles and find ways to overcome them.?

The anxiety and fear that come with being dyslexic are normal, but I want you to know that you’re not alone. It’s not always easy, but it’s not impossible either. With the right tools and support, you can achieve anything you want. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or to use technology to your advantage. It’s not cheating; it’s leveling the playing field.?

Use your voice—it’s the only way to be heard.?

I’ve been more successful than anyone, including myself, ever expected. My very first evaluation from a psychologist said my parents would be lucky if I graduated high school. Guess what? They were wrong. I’m out in the world kicking ass and thriving, thanks to the support of friends, family, and, of course, technology.??

?To Everyone Else?

If you don’t have dyslexia, I hope this gives you a glimpse into what it’s like. Dyslexia isn’t a weakness; it’s a different way of thinking. And sometimes, thinking differently is exactly what the world needs.?

Thank you for reading my story. If you notice any mistakes in this blog, that’s okay. They’re a part of me, and I’m proud of how far I’ve come.?

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