This week we are celebrating Dyslexia Week, with this year’s theme focussing on Invisible Dyslexia.
Dyslexia comes with many challenges, but many people in our community feel like their struggles are unseen. Because dyslexia itself isn’t visible, individuals with dyslexia often feel unsupported, unwanted and invisible. From the child at school struggling to keep up with the rest of their friends, to the office worker feeling like they don’t belong.
Dyslexia also too often goes hand in hand with other invisible challenges such as struggling with their mental health and discrimination in the workplace. Legislation can also fail to consider the dyslexic perspective and under-represented groups become lost.
That’s why this dyslexia week we are focusing on Invisible Dyslexia, to explore the entire theme of visibility within our community and with our colleagues and patients. To highlight the issues surrounding Invisible Dyslexia, we’ve spoken to two colleagues who want to share their story with you.
Angie is an Advanced Physiotherapist at ELHT. Here is her story:
“My name is Angie and I am now a Clinical Team Leader for the therapy in-patient team, but this as not always been the case as I have had several years’ experience in other jobs before I found my career at ELHT. I started with the Trust in 2002 as a Rehab Assistant at RRC and this is where I found my passion and drive to want to work as a Physiotherapist. I successfully applied to be a physio assistant and was very fortunate to be able to do my training on a part-time basis whilst working in the Trust. I really owe a lot to ELHT and the team that have supported me though my career. Without the faith and support of my colleagues, I would not have continued to complete my degree.
As someone with dyslexia, I find some of the simplest tasks very difficult. When I started at University I really struggled with the studyingand quite often the speed of the information that I needed to take on-board. Every year at University I thought it would be my last, that I would not get the grades and be sent packing. I completed my degree and graduated which was such a massive achievement.
I am a very practical person and throughout my life I have always chosen careers that have reflected this, so to do a physiotherapy degree was way out of my comfort zone. But, like most people with dyslexia, I felt that I would never be able to achieve this.
I suppose what I really want to say is anything is achievable with drive and determination. I am so grateful for the people who have and continue to support me.
Having dyslexia helps me see what others don’t always see, we are all different and we all bring different things to a team. I do struggle at times but I am always proud of what we all can achieve.”
