I was diagnosed with dyslexia from an early age of around 10 years old. Schooling was very difficult as I struggled with both academic subjects and sporting prowess. Back in the seventies these two were the key to both progress and social acceptance.
When I became an adult I slowly began to enjoy reading as I put in a great deal of effort on my own. I still find the detail of certain precise elements of form filling difficult. To this day I feel nervous when having to get something read or written accurately.
Then came computers. I know that some dyslexics found computers their salvation but not me. The sheer volume of information on a page causes me to feel anxious and confused. Information to me is hidden in plain site. I love writing with 10 books published but this is due to the creative part on my mind where I can control information input and exposure.
To give you an example I trained in Carpentry and Bricklaying topics I teach to this day. I could build you a bed from scratch but would struggle with putting together a flatpack cabinet sold from a reputable retailer.
This strange dichotomy between the ability to convert some elements of my thinking to others seems to be connected to the sequencing from one point to the next. If the computer has one way I can usually pick it up but when there are several ways of performing the same action panic sets in .
Fortunately I discovered a brilliant teacher Kimmy from Koolwebs who has taught me so much through endless patience and I am able to complete this blog. My fear comes with the endless updating and formatting of pages that constantly change.
Bricklaying has remained the same for hundreds of years so I found I can master it. However the computer is becoming the default kit for just about every activity including the crucial health, financial and legal requirements of society. To be computer illiterate these days has the same stigma is as being reading illiterate was fifty years ago. I know the younger people have grown up with them and I wonder how many other dyslexics even in this age group would suffer the same anxiety.
Peter Bull ( Author of the GET INTOUCH SERIES)