RE: The World of Dyslexia: The Difficult Journey to Be Understood
When my brother was around 3, they diagnosed him as mentally retarted - he is not 54 :) He was rediagnosed when he was around 9 and they diagnosed his as severely dyslexic .. He was put in classes grown up all of the way thru high school with severely mentally retarded children some of which had no control over their bodily functions, etc. He worked really hard to graduate which he finally did at 21 years old .. He has been working a job now for 21 years for a company that still to this day takes advantage of these amazing employees - he got a .05 (yes, 5 cent) raise last year and he was more excited about the turkey they gave him for Thanksgiving. It is not an easy thing to grow up with but I can tell you that repetition and consistency is key. He does still write things backwards at times but I realize that he does this more hen he gets nervous. He is the BEST!!!! I really like this post alot :) SUNSHINE247
Dear @sunshine247, thank-you so much for your heart felt comments. I can understand what your brother must have gone through when he was young. Putting him in with the severely mentally retarded was probably one of the biggest mistakes. In those days they really didn't have a very good way to deal with all the different conditions. They tended to lump everyone together, not realizing that they needed to have different approaches. Learning disability is very different from other conditions because children are very much aware of things around them. They don't have intelligence problems, just difficulty with processing certain things. When you are put with others different from you, you begin to think something is wrong. Expectations are different so he probably didn't think he could strive higher.
I know it is so unfair that someone can profit from others like what is happening to your brother. I guess the main thing is if your brother is happy. Because money has less value than the feeling of earning a turkey, they can take advantage of the situation. Are there other programs that might employ him? Here in Hawaii, there are many McDonald's that hire the handicap and they get paid like the other employees. But again the key thing is if he is happy and if he would be happy changing to something new.
You are a fantastic sister! Your love for your brother is probably one of the most precious things to him. One thing I do know is that these people with learning disabilities or other conditions are probably the most loving people on Earth. They express love with no hidden agendas. They don't play games because they are real! And fortunately for you brother, you are real too! I wish you and your brother the best. You made me think that perhaps I need to write more in this area. Education of these areas are so important! Thank-you @sunshine247 for sharing your brother with me. His story has really touched my heart. It actually made me glad that I wrote about dyslexia. Have a wonderful week and please give a huge hug to your brother for me! :D
I love you friend .. Thanks for lending an ear .. this is a topic I am happy to see someone post on :) Have a GREAT start to your week and just know I APPRECIATE YOU!!! Sunshine247
You are so welcome! I appreciate family members who truly love their family members no matter what. Your brother is so lucky to have you and vise versa. He makes you special because you understand what it is like. I will think about another article on working with learning disabilities. Thank-you for your inspiring comments. It is sincerely appreciated! .....Cabbagepatch! :D