In my own words
Understanding Dyslexia
What school is really like with dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia, from someone who lives it.
By Jocelyn House, a junior at Xavier College Preparatory
What it's like, in a few sentences
I have dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia. That doesn't mean I can't read, write or do math. It means my brain takes a different route to get there, and that route takes a lot more work.
It doesn't make me any less smart. Dyslexia is a strength, not a weakness. It has made me creative, independent and a problem solver.
What it's like
I know how. My brain just won't let me do it the usual way.
People think dyslexia means you can't read. It's more than that. Here is what actually happens for me in four parts of a school day.
The meaning disappears
I know the words. I use them all the time. But if I've never seen a word written down, I have to stop and work it out, and while I do, I lose my understanding of everything I just read. So I read it again. And again.
The slide is already gone
My teacher talks fast, and the slides have even more on them than he says. I'm reading and listening at the same time, and reading takes me longer. Before I finish one slide, he's on the next.
My ideas are ahead of my hand
I know exactly what I want to say and how to say it. Getting it out through handwriting is the hard part. Then I can't spell a word I say and write every day, and I have to decide: keep trying, or pick a different word.
The numbers move
I know the formula and I know the steps. But 75 turns into 57, and decimal points slide. Every one of those is a real number, so nothing tells me I got it wrong. I check everything multiple times.
None of this makes me less smart. It has made me creative, and it has made me a problem solver.
Why I made this
I want people to know what it's actually like
I was diagnosed with dyslexia in eighth grade, which is later than most people find out. All the way up until then, I had been problem solving for years. I didn't know that wasn't normal, or that everybody else wasn't working as hard as I was to get the same results.
When I finally found out I had dyslexia, it took me a while to understand it. Once I did, I started asking for help. I didn't always get the help I asked for.
That is why building this site and the simulation is so important to me. Dyslexia is not just that you can't read. It is more than that. I hope this helps people see what it's really like, have empathy, and be willing to help.
Jocelyn HouseJunior, Xavier College Preparatory
Watch
Four short videos, in my own voice
Each one is short and shows one moment from my school day. If you only have a couple of minutes, start here.
Reading
What happens when I stop to work out one word.
Lecture
Keeping up with slides while the teacher keeps talking.
Writing
Getting stuck on the spelling of a word I use every day.
Math
Numbers and decimal points that move around.
Try it
The simulation: sit in my seat for four classes
The videos show you what it's like. The simulation lets you feel it. You take a reading quiz, follow a lecture, write a timed response and take a math quiz, and the page makes reading, writing and numbers work the way they do for me.
What you will experience
- Reading quizWords you know, but have never seen written, will not hold still. Trying to understand a word makes you lose your understanding of what you just read.
- LectureThe slides have more on them than the teacher says, and they change before you finish reading.
- Written responseA full answer is already in your head. Your hand cannot keep up, and spelling stops you on ordinary words.
- Math quizDigits trade places and decimal points drift, and every wrong reading still looks like a real number.
Before you start
It takes 10 to 15 minutes, and you can jump to any part or stop whenever you want.
It is not a test and your score does not matter. The point is to notice what it takes to try: how long things take, what slips away while you work, and what you start doing to cope.
Who made it
This simulation was built by a student with dyslexia and someone who has worked in educational software development for decades.
Every part of it is as accurate as we could make it. Other people's experiences can be different.
Now talk about it
If this changed how you think about dyslexia, tell someone. Show a friend, a teacher or a parent, and talk about what it felt like. That is how people start to understand.