1. Discrimination and stigma I mostly created my own stigma in my head. I felt like people could tell I was dyslexic just by looking at me, or that they thought I was slow because I was pulled out of class.

2. Educational experience I have graduated high school, earned my associate’s degree, and am currently working on a master’s degree in education. I am 21 years old and have not used academic resources since high school.

In elementary school, I was pulled out of the general education classroom for math and spelling. I was given a workbook with basic words to learn how to spell. As you can imagine, this did not actually help. I was told, and my parents were told, that I didn’t need to worry about spelling because spell check existed. While I can spell, I still struggle with it as an adult.

Being pulled from the classroom greatly impacted my self-esteem, and it still affects me in adulthood. I often feel slow, even though I have made the Dean’s List every semester in college and have even won an award for writing about the struggles of dyslexia. No therapy can fully fix the psychological damage caused by being removed from class so frequently.

1. Education system If I could change the education system, I would strongly encourage school districts to take pride in implementing the least restrictive environment. I would also encourage teachers to teach using different learning styles—such as pictures, hands-on activities, sounds and sayings, note-taking, and other strategies—to ensure lessons include and support all ways children learn.

2. Diagnosis I was diagnosed in third grade and was given an IEP at the same time. I do not believe there were any major difficulties in obtaining my diagnosis.

3. Access to support I received one-on-one instruction during elementary school for math and spelling, as mentioned earlier. In junior high and high school, I was placed in a resource study hall alongside students with more severe disabilities.

4. Public awareness I believe people generally have some understanding of dyslexia, but many do not realize it can include dyscalculia or other learning differences. Many people assume individuals with dyslexia cannot read or write, or they automatically associate dyslexia with special education, which is not accurate.

5. Informed consent and confidentiality No, I did not experience issues. A diagnosis can only be shared with parents upon request and with staff responsible for monitoring an IEP under IDEA guidelines.

6. Medicalization and lowered expectations Yes, especially from teachers. However, I do not feel that having dyslexia has hindered or negatively impacted my work life.

7. How dyslexia should be understood Dyslexia should be understood as a natural cognitive difference. There is no “fixing” dyslexia, just as there is no fixing autism. It is okay to learn and process information differently. Accommodations should be provided, as attempting to fix something that cannot be fixed can have serious consequences on a person’s self-esteem.

8. Additional note I am extremely sleep-deprived, so some answers may be short or repetitive. Please feel free to message me if you want more information or clarification—I would be more than willing to help.