“Just knowing the reason why you’re having these issues makes a difference psychologically…that alone was kind of refreshing…” — Sophia, 16
Energized by her own recent identification of dyslexia, homeschooled teen Sophia decided to spread positive awareness of dyslexia and help others get identified, too.
Sophia’s own journey began when her mother happened upon a newspaper article that mentioned stealth dyslexia, and the description fit her to a ‘t’.
She took the Neurolearning App online and found her identification a relief.
She then began thinking about how many others are overlooked in terms of their dyslexia, and that put her on a journey to spread awareness and positive awareness (awareness of dyslexic strengths) as well as help others get themselves tested.
HOLDING A DYSLEXIA EVENT FOR THE COMMUNITY
Sophia’s first step was to research and prepare a talk about dyslexia at her local library. Because she lives in a rural area, she realized that many members in her community may not have heard much about dyslexia nor be aware of resources available to them.
She advertised her talk in a newspaper, and 60 people showed up. She remembers one person was a grandfather to dyslexic children and he answered a lot of questions. When she identified herself as being dyslexic – he seemed flabbergasted. He was surprised, she thought because he expected someone less confident or informed.
There she was, just 16, poised and able to discuss dyslexia’s strengths as well as challenges.
Sophia was happy to present herself as a positive role model for dyslexia and also overturn common misconceptions of how people with dyslexia might appear.
Although formal testing for dyslexia may cost thousands of dollars, Sophia knew the Neurolearning App was less than 5% of the cost of conventional testing, and came with a detailed report for recommendations as well as qualifying for free e-book resources if dyslexia was identified.
WINNING A GRANT TO PROVIDE FREE DYSLEXIA SCREENING
She applied for a grant from the global volunteer group, Soroptimist and received enough funds to provide 50 people with free tests!
Bravo to Sophia for her initiative, creative thinking, and generosity in sharing what she knows as well as raising funds to help those could not afford to take the test.
If you’d like to check out my interview with Sophia, listen to the audio below. It was a wide-ranging interview and a wonderful opportunity to step into the shoes of a 16 year old who not only is self-aware of her dyslexia, but also on the journey to recognizing her strengths – and realizing not everyone can do some of the things that she can do.
She also has a great relationship with her non-dyslexic sister; they support each others differences. Sophia also talked about her interest in humanities and in particular ancient Greek literature.
I also talked with her about how in the past decade, there’s been an exciting “awakening” going on within the dyslexic community. People are becoming empowered to share their gifts and talk about the positive sides to dyslexia.
