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Hey everyone! Welcome back to another edition of the seasonal newsletter!
October has many celebrations and holidays such as Thanksgiving and Halloween, but another important observance is Dyslexia Awareness Month.
Dyslexia is an unfamiliar topic to many people; most of you have probably heard of autism or down syndrome, but strangely not dyslexia, even though it affects 15-20% of the Canadian population. This learning disorder causes difficulty reading, spelling, writing, and speaking. For example, while reading they could see letters move, shift, or rotate. All these difficulties can be a large barrier in being able to interact with other people; dyslexia affects memory, organization, concentration, multi-tasking, time-keeping, communication, and many more basic skills that people need to succeed financially in society. Socially, dyslexia poses a significant obstacle as well; being close to someone whose brain works differently than you’re used to can be incredibly frustrating and confusing.
While dyslexic people may seem “mentally impaired,” or “too stupid to improve,” they actually have average to above average IQs, and just like the general population, some have superior intellect as well. In fact, one of the most well-known people with dyslexia, Walt Disney, is regarded as a pioneer of animated cartoon films and as the creator of cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse. His work continues to spread true joy and happiness in children around the world. The reality is that dyslexic people are often incredibly intelligent, they just have challenges expressing their thoughts and opinions, making people think they’re just not smart.
Science’s greatest mind, Albert Einstein, was dyslexic. As a child and teenager, Einstein demonstrated incredible brilliance in geometry, but showed great weakness in speech and verbal development, as well as several other school subjects. His teachers believed that “Nothing would become” of him in the future. To his friend Max Wertheimer, a psychologist, Einstein explained that “Thoughts did not come in any verbal formulation. I very rarely think in words at all. A thought comes, and I may try to express it in words afterwards.”
Alongside a scientific genius, one of the most well-known and respected artists, Pablo Picasso, also had dyslexia. His paintings reflected artistic and literary perspectives, changing the way we, as people, viewed art. As a child, his school attempted to explain his difficulties in reading with the term “reading blind”. However, it was Picasso’s different viewpoint that gave him the unique perspective he needed to create some of the most famous works of art in the world. Like he said, “I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them”.
For those of you wanting to get a deeper read into dyslexia, a New York Times Bestseller on dyslexia, Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, is a fiction novel that follows an elementary student as she embarks on a journey of struggle, humiliation, and ultimate bravery everyday in school. I highly recommend this book for anyone; it explains the concept of dyslexia and all the everyday struggles that one faces when they have this disorder. However, it also highlights the unique intelligence and curiosity in everyone with dyslexia, making it an emotional, yet informative, touching yet comedic read.
Dyslexia is such an unknown disorder for something that affects so many people so greatly, so I hope these annual celebrations. Like Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
On a lighter note, volunteering is a great way to get out and explore your community! Some volunteer opportunities around you include:
The Rise Challenge for Youth Worldwide 2023
The Evermore Society
To learn more, you can click here!
In addition to that, events are also places where you can give back to those around you while making new friends and having so much fun! Here are some upcoming and past events!
Applefest Markham
Pumpkin Fest
Halloween Hunt
To learn more, click here!
Stay tuned for next month’s article!
Ada Yao