Last year Dyslexia Scotland invited me to talk about becoming a blogger. This is for their YouTube channel and is called dyslexic career journeys. This amazing project was brought about to aid young people in their career journeys once they leave school. Thirteen different individuals talk about their careers from the police force, media, government and mine about blogging and assistive technology. This brought about an invitation to talk with Martin Bloomfield at the beginning of the pandemic.
My friend had talked about a platform called LinkedIn. This is a business and employment-focused social media platform. Aiding in building and engaging a professional network. Now I have had many failures when it comes to CVs. I didn’t have a CV until recently, thanks to the help and support of Dyslexia Scotland I now have one in place. This was due to wanting to change employment. My last place had been hopeless in support of dyslexia. It is amazing the facts you find with a bit of research.
Martin Bloomfield
As my LinkedIn profile has been growing over the last few months, probably through boredom!! I received a message from Martin Bloomfield. He is building up a big profile on dyslexia and placing this on YouTube. It is called Dyslexia Bytes. He asked if we could talk to him for ten minutes on Zoom about dyslexia. Why not I ask myself? Friends already know when talking about dyslexia I just can’t stop! It is like asking a vegan to talk about their diet. People roll their eyes and tell me they want the subject changed.
This was informal and on Zoom, I decided to set the scene as a science fiction Geek. Babylon Five as my background and the “Dyslexics of the World Untie” t-shirt. I joined Martin’s Zoom link, and he started talking it was like listening to the squirrel on hoodwinked drinking Red Bull. I could understand anything Martin was saying the decision was to make another attempt. Attempt number two went more smoothly. I started by talking about my dyslexia and my journey. It is a neurological glitch that works differently for everyone.
I told the story of being a volunteer aiding Dyslexia Scotland’s education conference last year. It was a great example of the individual needs when it comes to dyslexia. I can’t read anything which is on a blue background. My colleague had her iPhone set up in this manner. Neither of us could make out a single word on our phones. We were attempting to share jokes was interesting. What works for me might not work for someone else.
Dyspraxia
The subject of dyspraxia also arose. Now I found out about dyspraxia through reading books by Dr Silva Moody. Now I know this stems from the brain injury through Meningococcal meningitis. An assessment is available on the NHS, however through personal experience it is extremely hard. One day when I have the funds I will get a private assessment.
One of the funny things with dyspraxia is trying to give directions. Arms are flapping about like a Loony Tune cartoon. People may think they are watching a scene from the movie Aeroplane. What is left or right? Oops, the plane is crashing into the airport terminal. Getting lost is known as the scenic route. I have also found trying to judge distance and speed incredibly difficult. My friends would never trust me with a car, thank goodness for public transport. Thinking about this I saw axe throwing and told my friends it would be fun. I was automatically banned for health and safety reasons!
This so-called ten-minute chat turned out to be an interrogation and lasted longer. I couldn’t have done too badly as Martin invited me back to talk again about Dyslexia Scotland. The next time it will be four nations and how we are raising awareness in each nation. I have asked for the questions in advance to prepare and research. I know that Dyslexia Scotland will aid me with information.