Christopher Church's Journal: Dyslexia

Hello,
          My name is Christopher Dale Church. I'm Dyslexic. I have gained some enlightenment concerning my learning disability. My intentions here are to utilize the results of these endeavors to enhance myself, also I want to share this all with you, the goal being, to stimulate a broader understanding of this issue, as well as, to educate and entertain you. This paper will serve as an introduction piece for, people needing to know more about me: professors, employers, and friends. I am an excellent communicator, which is what reading and writing are all about, and a subcategory of. The blessing of Dyslexia has been bestowed upon me; gift though it is, along with it goes a great deal of difficulty with written language. I wish, therefore to thank you in advance for bearing with me as we learn, work, and grow together with regard for my "disability".
          Dyslexia in the original Latin literally means bad-word; the extended definition is: difficulty with reading and writing due to a brain impairment. Neither denotation is correct, nor does either qualify as intelligent connotations. The true Dyslexic actually has superior language skills, yet has trouble with the written representations of words. Erroneously, a myriad of learning disabilities, have been grouped together and called dyslexia. The truth is that the Dyslexic is a completely different type of human. The first major indicator for Dyslexia is, above average intelligence in conjunction with below average conventional written word aptitude. Other indicators include: extraordinary imagination and creative thought and abilities. Dyslexics are highly intuitive and insightful with an immense spiritual perception. We exhibit tendency to use analogies, left/right confusion, an ability to see the big picture. We view the world differently. The Dyslexic has the ability to see things from many points of view, all at once, thus the right/left confusion.
          When comparing, electrochemical impulse analysis, of the thinking activity of the average person's brain with the Dyslexics brain, certain significant differences are found. The average, or "normal", brain has segmentation of thought with different modes of thought corresponding to certain areas of the brain. For example: When one is thinking analytically, electrochemical impulses will fire off in a certain portion of the brain. When turned on sexually a different distinct portion of the brain will get excited. When thinking creatively yet another. For the Dyslexic there is overall brain activity for all modes of thought; particularly around the periphery of the brain. Additionally, the Dyslexic has equal proportion for both sides of their brain. "Normal" people have a left hemisphere that is smaller. The smaller it is the less creative they are. These two factors indicate that the Dyslexics brain functions more as one unit, as opposed to separative functioning of the average individual.
        Da Vinci, Edison, Einstein, Tesla all are known to have been Dyslexic. Dyslexics as a group are of a much greater intelligence level than the total populous. I'm not implying that all Dyslexic are practical geniuses; there maybe low probability if you are, but if you're not there's almost no probability. It's the simple things like the nuts and bolts aspects of reading and writing which give us trouble. Brother Albert, the greatest mathematical genius of all time, when making a retail purchase, had problems making small change because of his Dyscalculia {a subcategory of Dyslexia}. He had to have a personal assistant travel with him for such purposes. Addition and subtraction: No, The Theory of Relativity: Yes.
          In reality it is not that Mr. Einstein could not do simple mathematics or that any Dyslexic can not read and write. It is just not, time effective; it is not our prime talent or forte. To get bogged down in such activities is to impede the whole progression of humanity. Nikola Tesla is not very well known yet he should be. He, the master of lighting as he was known in his day, invented the generator that changes mechanical energy into alternating current electricity. Nikola also invented the Tesla coil, the remote control, and the radio. He generated ideas constantly: it was almost as if, they came to him faster than he could work through them. Mr. Tesla sadly neglected to patent many of discoveries thus made little or no money from them. Another member of our family, Leonardo, wasn't going to get pounded into a round hole. He made all of his notes perfectly backwards, writing from right to left. Nonconformity allowed for proper development of his mind and now we enjoy the artistic and creative results.
        I often explain the written language gap as learning a different language. Unless one learns multiple languages at a very young age, achievement can be made, even to the level of fluentness in that language, yet thought will never be in that language. You will always think in English and speak out the equivalent word or phase in the additional tongue. That's how it is for the Dyslexics. We can learn, even excel in, written language. Still there will always be a gap. It is mostly a mental block, just as the English speaking person, can not bypass, the inner belief that any other language is foreign and less functional, so to the Dyslexic can't break their inner insight that written language is inefficient and obsolete.
        Written language in general was mankind's second attempt at recording communication, the first being drawing and painting. Now with the advent of modern recording devices we are seeing a shift from written to recorded information and communication. This fact is most evident in the realm of entertainment. "Suzy Q, did you read the book?" "No! But I saw the movie." Academia will soon follow. We already see video lectures, audio reports and the like. These modes allow the recipient to receive more of the full spectrum of what is being communicated with voice inflections, body language and illustrations being included. Writing, after all, is nothing more than a transcript of what one is trying to communicate; only a part of the whole. Of course the romantic idea of being able to form ones own imagery as reading takes place is strong; yet why not hear, see, and feel what the author is really communicating? With the production of the telephone, the dit-dot-dash of telegraphic communication became much less important; yet we communicate with spacecraft through telemetry a similar form of relay. Written language still has purpose. As one studies Latin, German, or Greek to enhance their English, so to the development of reading and writing skills will have its' place. Still let us remember that the abacus was fun, but when I want to do some serious computations I whip out my pocket calculator and avoid anticipated frustrations.
          Regarding paperwork and the Dyslexic: Certain channels of "help" are actually more trouble than aid, by causing excessive exposure to written language. This is the equivalent of telling a paraplegic: "Sure we'll help you overcome your limitations IF you - First run from your home to our office, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, faster! Faster! FASTER! Now jog over to your prospective college no-No-NO, no wheelchairs allowed. Braces maybe! NO, can't use them either. Keep in mind we'll buy you an electric wheelchair after you do as we say. Now run along hurry make haste you have no more than ten days. After your finished, you must dance around to various potential employers be sure to use ballet, jazz, and modern forms... How ludicrous and insidiously cruel is this scenario? As a Dyslexic I have experienced this type of written language barrier in one form or another in every agency of, so called, help I have been involved with.
        VESID {the Office of Vocational AND EDUCATIONAL Services for Individuals with Disabilities} is a good example of this. First there were forms, papers, pamphlets, brochures, and applications to read and fill out; then orientation with letter of explanation, time tables, testing, questionnaires, and a letter to explain the letters of explanation, informative documents revealing that you will not be discriminated against because of your disability? Then to get VESID moving, or I should say pretending to move, it took seventeen letters twenty-three reminder notes, and eighty-nine phone calls. The first attempt to work with VESID, well over four months after I first applied I was finally assigned a functional counselor, less than two weeks before my studies were to begin. Now with counselor to "help" me [that is, just insist it be done] "You need to fill out this paperwork, and that form, send across country for a copies of testing, which might not be able to be used. Hurry, you must then fax us the other documentation form, this cross-referenced college forms which may not be good enough, and so you will then have to send it to the other federal agency which can send five forms to be filled out in triplicate. Well you've done it. You have jumped through a series of ten thousand and one hoops. Now your paper work will really begin. Prove to us that your course of study, your life's purpose is valid according to our arbitrary, pigeon holing standards". This nonsense kept on far into the semester. With paperwork of my own to do, needless to say, I gave up. I heard the accounts of others being helped, how their "impractical" courses of study were accepted. As I turned to the local soup kitchen to eat, my meager budget of student loans having been exhausted by tuition and books, this is where VESID is supposed to fill the gap. Eventually, I thought, I would validate my course of study to them. It would have taken months of research. When I was studying at Binghamton University, I had an A in ever class still, largely because of VESID's lack of support I ultimately dropped out. Having already put many hours into the research, which should have been VESID's paper work to do, and balancing VESID's work with my studies I should be done about six months after I would have graduated and their "help" was no longer needed.
        Some colleges offer help; the following is an analysis of the accommodations I received at Binghamton University:
                                                                                Services for Students with Disabilities
As I began my studies at University I turned to the campus Services for Students with Disabilities for the help I needed.
  Written Language Barrier
The first problem I experienced was that this involved a lot of paperwork which, of course, was a written language barrier, and presented quite an obstacle.
  Adaptive Computer Technology
Next; it seemed I could be helped by the use of some adaptive computer technology I began the long arduous process of acclimating the voice recognition to my particular voice. One major problem arose with this. After considerable precious study time was devoted to this programming it did not function at all, garbling ~70% of the words, even though I speak perfect newscaster English.
  Note Takers
Note Takers that will help me, help me get more frustrated and consume more study time. How is an overwhelmed learning disabled student going to conduct interviews, correlate schedules, locate university employees etc. and then do it multiple times for each class, well into the semester, again, and again, and again, as students change classes or change their minds or whatever. One class I missed the first four weeks of notes, another after trying to actuate five or six note takers, I just gave up.
  A Reader
Well maybe I could get this text translated into my language. First, they couldn't just do the whole text they wanted me to report specific assignment each day to them. The whole purpose of possessing a text is so that one can cross reference material within the text at will, and study it, not just one small portion. To program it in, they get somebody to just throw the text on the screen reader without pressing down the binder, halve of the text, the inner part of each page deleted. That, in and of itself, was not the major problem. They wouldn't believe me; they thought I wasn't operating the program right. Then they came up with some other erroneous excuses then another and another. I was the one who had to discover and analyze the problem and after advising them numerous times I finally had to physically take them to the computer room and step-by-step "spell" out the problem. They finally corrected it half way into the semester and well past the need for that text.
                    Tutors
Again, the same as with the note takers: I had to conduct interviews, correlate schedules, locate university employees etc. and then do it multiple times for each class. In one case, She was a disabled student herself and although dedicated couldn't really help me because of her own limitation. For the rest of the classes I gave up after much effort.
Learning and Dyslexia
                  During grade school I had great difficulty and was held back to repeat second grade. At this time it was noted that I inverted letters and numbers and have an extra ordinarily intuitive and creative mind. Still the only help I received was to be forced into the reading circle so that the other students could snicker and ostracize. Later in forth or fifth grade I was tested for learning disabilities yet received no tutoring, special help, or instruction in dealing with my disability. Verbally, I seemed, to myself and others, as above average. Yet written language of any kind poses a serious obstacle for me.
              In high school I excelled in the arts and this masked the major problems with other subjects. Although I am a high school graduate, I found with my first experience with college that this means very little. After high school I worked for a few years and then had the opportunity to attend college. During the first semester I came to the realization that I was basically illiterate. Also I was lacking basic math skills. I failed miserably. The next semester I totally ignored my advisors and curriculum and enrolled in many remedial classes. For example: Basic Algebra- to prepare me for Chemistry, Basic Biology- to prepare me for Botany and Zoology. Along the way I taught myself how to "read" at a college level. I then experienced some good success. I graduated with a 3.7 GPA and was selected to join Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Still though, regardless of any educational experience, I am truly disabled because I read and write in a very different way and have major limitations, many years later, while in California, I was encouraged to be tested for learning disabilities. I took the test and it clearly showed me disabled. As it was explained to me at the time: The "normal" individual's test scores are right around the same level for the various tests. Like arrow strikes on a target. For myself some scores were very high and others were lower with a big gap between the two groupings. Finally I had the answer, I wasn't stupid, as so many teachers, bosses, and peers had taunted. This was a very limited test but at least it qualified me for the accommodations needed to have a fair chance.
          The afore mentioned, paraplegic scenario would, in reality, be a minimal sadistic fling, compared to written language barriers. After all, apart form a miracle of God or bionics, a paralyzed persons legs, will never function. Dyslexics as a group have been studied, and shown to have a much higher intelligence than the general populous. Exceptional communicators, some may exhibit telepathic potential. People of the obsolete-hieroglyphic-mode-of-communication, help us. We have arrived to soon. Help us we need to function in society as it is now. Help us; it will take centuries perhaps millennia before our kind will fit well in. Help! Us! As a show of good faith we have given you inspired works of art, the light bulb, telephone, motion pictures, inventions of all kinds, enlightened mathematical theorem. Now do your part. Help us with these scratched out symbols you all deem so important. PLEASE! HELP! US!
                                                                                                                    Thank You for "listening"

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Christopher Dale Church