My Dyslexia Story: Maeve Ramsay

It was a massive relief

When I was younger, I had no clue why I was struggling with reading, particularly with spelling. My dad who was an English teacher, recognised the signs of dyslexia and told me that’s what it probably was. My primary school didn’t think I was dyslexic and neither did my secondary school. 

Although I eventually got the help for exams in school, I still wasn’t officially “diagnosed”, so I felt like they just gave me support when my parents wouldn’t back down. Eventually, when I was 18, I got the opportunity to have a formal test and it was confirmed I was dyslexic. It was a massive relief as I just wanted something to officially confirm it, because I felt like no one was listening to me and offering proper support outside of exams.
 

I spent much of my teenage years learning how to study and take in the information. 

I realised quite early on in school that the only way I was going to put effort in and get results in my learning was if I worked hard and figured out the best way to learn. That meant from an early age I could problem solve my situation. Plus, my parents introduced me to different ways of learning or taking information in such as audiobooks. 
 

Taking a different approach

I think because I am dyslexic, I have become more resistant. For example, I would always find ways to do things differently. When I faced setbacks in university and was struggling with writing assignments, I would often try and approach writing assignments differently to see which approaches worked best. Over time, I think in conjunction with this, I had to learn to become better at receiving feedback and extra support. I never liked showing my work to anyone but I soon learned, especially in university, that if I was going to pass, I needed as much advice as I could get.  

I also learned in life to be disciplined. I soon discovered that I needed to be able to plan and organise my time and often making sure I had enough time to complete tasks, especially in education. Therefore, being dyslexic forced me to become more organised through to-do lists and planning when I would do tasks and where was best to complete them. For example, working out where best to sit in an office that’s less distracting so I could focus on planning out my week.  

Overall, I think in life if I didn’t figure how to do things for myself rather than just accepting I can’t do something, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. Dyslexia has forced me to look for ways to overcome my struggles from school, to uni and to work life balance. 

Receiving the right support 
                             
The support of a lecturer in college really helped. The way she taught the lessons was so that everyone could learn. There were often times she was make us use visual learning like mind maps or creating little booklets so that we would remember the information. 

Plus, she always made sure I could approach her if I needed to and that I had the correct exam and test supports in place, such as using a computer for spell checking and writing answers with the use of headphones to read back my answers.

Having extra support is key to your success in life so find out what works for you. Ask to try different types of support and don’t be afraid to ask others for different support options if they aren’t working for you. What might be helpful for one person who’s dyslexic might not work for another person. Keep pushing for the right support until you get something that works. 

Overcoming my fears

I think a proud moment for me was when I did a presentation in a training course I completed as part of a graduate work program. I struggle with being able to articulate myself when I’m nervous, but I managed to overcome my fear in that moment. What made it go well was the fact that we had to explain a project we were working on. Simply breaking it down and using pictures really helped and the group I was presenting to said they really liked how simplified I made it.

Not letting it define you

For anyone still in school thinking about the future, I would say that exams don’t have to define what you do after school. Yes, please try your best, but also know that a bad grade is not the end of life. There’s many opportunities to explore in life and even if you decide to go for one option, it doesn’t mean you have to stick to it. Also, if it takes you longer to get to where you want to be, so be it. I went to university at 20 because I never got the grades at 18 to go. Always try different things and even if you have to spend longer to reach goals such as taking exams again or going for a fountain course - do it. One day you’ll look back and be proud of where you came from.