Authors: Shelby Neilan, Mr.Kittycat. =^-^=, Raycee Brown, Treyton Neilan, Lorelei Barse, Tyrone Lawrence Editor: Sister Patrice Colletti, SDS
Our class has been learning about learning disabilities. Adults with disabilities need to understand them so they can self-advocate in work or college.
The video that we watched, “Embracing Dyslexia,” was about students with dyslexia, and told how dyslexia works. The video explained how to deal with dyslexia and how to get help.
This is how you can tell if someone has dyslexia. Do they have a hard time reading? Can they decode their words? Is language and writing hard for them? Are they not reading at their grade level? 
People with dyslexia or other learning disabilities have much more of a hard time with math/ English/ or even reading simple words. Some other signs of having dyslexia are: behavioral problems, frustration, stuttering, having fits because of frustration, and not doing homework because it’s too hard.
What happens if no one figures out that a learning disability is causing all these problems? Behavioral problems are really common because of all the frustration. Teachers or parents or other kids think that the student is lazy, stupid, or slacking. But, really, their learning disability is making learning impossible. 
Usually, if you keep on failing, your self-confidence goes down. Some students act out and behave badly. But, maybe you become the quiet one in the back, being invisible to other people, never drawing attention to yourself. A lot of times, students with learning disabilities will find something to do besides what they are assigned to do, like drawing, or something else that finds them joy.
Nobody wants to be totally frustrated every single day. That makes you hate school and learning. Learning disabilities like dyslexia can even cause family problems, and the student ends up angry, crying, and dealing with depression. Behavior issues can be at home, too.
Understanding the bad things that can happen is helpful. The video also pointed out that understanding your learning disability can give you power. Having dyslexia or a learning disability can be a challenge. Learning to work around it (accommodations like listening to audiobooks, using software that reads out loud to you, using a spell checker, and learning to organize things) is hard work. But, people with learning disabilities can succeed.
People usually make a lot of assumptions when they find out someone is dyslexic or has a learning disability. They’ll automatically think, “Oh they’re stupid because they’re dyslexic,” but in reality they’re not, they are very smart! It’s just a struggle for them when they’re learning.
It’s not all bad to be dyslexic. There are good things, too. For example, people who have it can be very social. They might have really strong abilities for art, athletics, or doing things with their hands like being a mechanic, a beautician, a soldier, a musician, a sculptor, or a painter.
People with dyslexia and learning disabilities can be super successful when they get the right help and accommodations. They can learn, they just learn differently. People who have dyslexia are not stupid. Their brain is wired differently, so they just need more the help to succeed with school learning.
