A DYSLEXIC STUDENT ON BEING SPECIAL

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[Vinalhaven is an island with a population of 1200 an hour and fifteen
ferry ride off the coast of Maine. The local school has 210 student
K-12. Writes Kris Osgood in Working Waterfront, "Last spring 17-year-old
Ladd Olson, of Vinalhaven, was given an essay assignment by one of his
teachers. The topic was up to him. Having been designated a special
education student, he decided to research his learning disability (or
learning difference), dyslexia." The result was both impressive and
moving. This is an excerpt]

LADD OSGOOD, WORKING WATERFRONT - Often the kids try to hide their
disabilities so they don't stick out. Their intelligence is hidden by
their poor reading ability. They have strong verbal, visual, auditory,
motor, and comprehension skills but lack phonological skills, which
inhibits their ability to read. When a child with dyslexia reads, 10
times more brain activity goes on in the child's head than in the head
of an average reader; however, the activity does not enable the child to
read proficiently.

This brain activity is not obvious to the outside observer but the
student's inability to read is. Intelligence is frequently judged by
reading ability, but history has shown that many successful people have
learning disabilities. Albert Einstein, a famous mathematician and
physicist, had a learning disability and did not speak until age three.
He had a very difficult time doing math in school, and it was hard for
him to express himself through writing. He is not the only one. There
are many others including, Winston Churchill, Nelson Rockefeller,
President Theodore Roosevelt, George Washington and many successful
people that are out of the spotlight as well.

Sally Shaywitz, a neuroscientist and author of "Overcoming Dyslexia,"
was at a dinner party. A professor at her table was speaking about
dyslexia, "Now dyslexics want to go to law school," he said. "Can you
imagine: a person like that as your lawyer?" She replied, "I would
consider it fortunate to have David Boies as my lawyer. Yes, a person
like that." Little did he know that Boies, a high profile lawyer, is
dyslexic and did not read until the third grade. . .

Equal doesn't exist in education. As much as we try to make it equal,
equal doesn't solve anything. "It" is education, it is society, it is
life. It isn't equal. Through trial and error we can change the
education system to benefit kids of all differences. With the help of
the state legislature, school boards, administrations and teachers it
can all come together to create not good education but great education.
Once I was asked a question, 'If I could, would I take a pill to make my
learning disabilities go away?' After researching and writing this paper
I have come to realize that dyslexia gives me the opportunity to look at
things differently and make different choices. I feel safe to say that I
would not take "the pill" if there was one.

http://www.workingwaterfront.com/article.asp?storyID=20070934

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