Dyslexia and me | Katie Willsey | TEDxLakeTravisHigh

Katie Willsey offers a touching account of how she, as a dyslexic person, experiences her world. Kaite Willsey moved to Lakeway, Texas two and a half years ago and became very involved in school spirit days, the school's musical production, volunteering, and competitive swimming. In the 9th-grade, Katie was diagnosed with a serious concussion setting her back in both her education and her swimming. As a result, Katie decided to move her passion to participating in the Speech and Debate Team and the TED-Ed Club, giving her the opportunity to work on her presentation and speech writing skills. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@herbika]

Dyslexia and anxiety,we know that combo!Well done,what a brave young lady!

[@kaylihebert5517]

Katie’s truly one of the most brilliant humans I’ve ever met. She’s such a light ❤

[@noellewest4347]

Katie, this was one of the best Ted Talks I have ever seen... EVER. Thank you for helping to educate people like me (non-dyslexics) about dyslexia from an HS student's point of view. I hope you will consider going into research in the future. You should be the one asking the research questions and helping to interpret the findings in studies of dyslexia.

[@sharonbratley8970]

Wow.. you were so brave standing up there, well done. I also learnt some valuable information to help me understand dyslexia better for my work.

[@noellewest4347]

Yes, she sure was. I couldn't have done what she did, and I don't have dyslexia. I'm also a writing teacher who stands in front of a class everyday (when we're not in the middle of a global pandemic), and I still could not have managed a Ted Talk with the level of poise and skill that she demonstrated in this.

[@Irish_all_day]

Thanks for speaking for all of us!!! Great job!!

[@ionasionas3685]

So proud about u .You are brilliant person

[@seanlee2002]

What an amazing speech why a fantastic young lady, as a fellow dyslexic, I can identify with everything that she said. Great speech. Keep it up!!

[@Koham_ook]

I feel you🌿🌿. I use to memorize whole chapter in advance, so that when teacher tells me to read aloud I acted as if i was reading 🙃

[@mattkolb8825]

Absolutely 100% tell them that they are Dyslexic.

[@adriennesmith200]

Great job sharing your story. Your bravery is inspiring. I also have dyslexia, I just found out at 51. My children and grandson also has dyslexia. I grew up not knowing and my children did too. Im relieved to find out so we can help the next generation. Keep up the amazing progress sweet girl.🙏👏

[@traceycelseste7459]

Great speech Katie ,thankyou for talking about dyslexia.I am dyslexia I just recognized some things that my mind does that is normal for the dyslexic brain to do. know I now others suffer from the samethings . I guess I struggled with them but just thought everyone saw them that way.Becoming aware is a great gift so thank you.

[@summerbreeze1100]

Thanks Katie! Great speech...I'm dyslexic and dyspraxic. I didnt realise that font existed...one glymps at it and it was just all clear!! 👏💫

[@nikolugo]

I'm a undiagnosed dyslexic and I understand the pain in her voice cuz I went through that

[@angelamurphy9472]

Dyslexia is different depending on the individual. For me. Numbers switch, words in sentences, sentences I thought I was saying, came out with the words in different orders, which then changed the meaning of the sentence. Directionality is a big problem for me. I’m 65 and it took me years to figure out I have a form of dyslexia. I had to learn how to learn that worked for me. Now, when people look at me with an odd expression, I say, “Let me try again!” Once I learned to do that and laugh, it’s gotten so much better. BRAVO for the bravery this young lady displayed in trying to educate others❤

[@BigChez50]

Thank you so much for your talk!!!!

[@stevegreenwood7837]

great talk, l'm dyslexic, thank you ! even though this is 2017

[@mattymobbs5125]

Anything on how dyslexic people find there purpose or talents

[@peterdriver4760]

Well done😊

[@bijayjena4182]

Dyslexia is a life long curse. Some dyslexic succeed in spite of it. that is a different story. The confidence of a dyslexia kid is destroyed in schools itself by the current educational system world over.

[@Haigkupelian2220]

Throughout my entire educational career up until 7th grade. Dyslexia in my distinguished dyslexic operate mindset and immense imagination; was viewed as being a curse preventing be from achieving my greatest aspirations s and goals. I would devote hours per day to studying and reading and continued getting c’s. Later I received my diagnosis and received accommodations through my studies and began witnessing results that I needed to succeed.

[@BIGDICK242]

FUNNY KID, GOD BLESS!

[@baronarikov1223]

Same problem with me

[@susanamanzano6537]

🙏🏼

[@elizabethjanetugby4695]

💖

[@thesecretspelltospelling9548]

it doesn't work for normal brains either. Dyslexia sounded out is dis lex ea. English is not a phonetic language.

[@xalian17]

To those who think dyslexia is a gift: it is not. Dyslexia lowers overall IQ by 10% or more. It limits the amount of reading a person can digest and apply in the real world. Limiting reading and applications causes a chasms in opportunities in employment. I get there are people who are successful and have this mental reduction, but one must realize that dyslexia is truly not a gift in today's fast information paced environment. The world wants people who can DO information, not just being creative every now and again. It is a hurdle that must be jumped everyday. When I realized that everyone in college is reading exponentially more and exponentially faster than me, and that I had to fight for my high marks where people were writing A+ papers either the night before OR actually right before class while it took me a week to do the same work, I realized that this is a "gift" is a load of rubbish. I don't have an answer beyond just accept that there we have a glass roof -- we can see through but just can't access it.

[@imabroseph]

I think you are very wrong. Dyslexia is a gift! You just choose not to view it that way. I struggled through out school and college with reading and writing because of being dyslexic. I spent so many hours with tutors and my professors. I would get b or b- for papers I spent 20+ hours on and another student barely tried. I learned a lot from that. I knew I gave it my all. b or b- is no a or a- but at the end of the day you choose to stop at the hurdle or try to jump over it. It may be discouraging to do this everyday work so much harder than others. That truly shouldn't matter. You have a chose to develop your weaknesses and strengths. As hard as it maybe don't get discouraged. Believe in yourself!

[@bellaspencer8274]

xalian17 thank you, you are so right!

[@taggershine]

Xalian, sorry to hear you think that. In the specific context of the learning styles that our education system and the majority of jobs cater to, yes, you are in a sense correct; but that is the only sense that you are correct in thinking that Dyslexia is not a gift at all. Dyslexia is largely seen as a learning disability like ADHD and the like are - but again, this is only in the same context that I mentioned above. A Dyslexic's brain is simply wired in different ways than someone without Dyslexia. The difference in how their brains are wired does not mean they are less intelligent than someone else; instead, it means that they think in different ways than someone else. Because our current system caters largely toward one learning style, it is harder for Dyslexics to recognise their potential and use it in what they do. Over the last decade there have been significant strides made toward recognising this and fixing this. Based on how far we've come in this respect, the best way to explain a Dyslexic's strengths over someone else without Dyslexia is to say that most of the time, a Dyslexic comes up with the "think outside of the box" ideas. Dyslexic's see and think in a less focused and narrowed way than those without Dyslexia and instead, do so more widely; which gives them a massive advantage in making connections and innovating in ways that others cannot. I am Dyslexic and I can attest to the above not only from researching it myself but also through personal experience. Keep searching Xalian, you will find your strengths and realise how you have an uncommon advantage :)

[@xalian17]

I will grant that all dyslexics must find avenues and cope with their dysfunctions in the best way they can, but it is still coping. Dyslexic brains are, part and parcel, globally defective in multitudes of cognitive functions and applications including memory, processing speed, spatial awareness, reading comprehension, mathematical application, vocabulary acquisition, phonics, and quick recall just name some of the top issues. It is a break down of the brain hardware on a global scale and is not just a phonically. There is no compensation for the deficiencies that dyslexic people have, i.e., there are no valid scientific research or journal that states that a dyslexic has an advantage over a non-dyslexic in the above mentioned areas. The aforementioned areas are keystones of how success is scalable in the real world. Dyslexics were taught they possess some kind of "gift" to keep their self-confidence stabilized while their peers are blasting through the material. Ever really thought out why tutors and special education teachers toss out the "dyslexics are more creative" line? It is because "creativity" cannot be quantified, thus, untestable and subjective. Employers do not care if a person is creative in local community college art class because what they really want is a person who can take in and apply massive amounts of written and oral information in the shortest amount of time possible. Dyslexia is NOT a gift. Dyslexia is like being on the Autobahn in a 3-cylinder Smartcar which takes forever to even get to 65 and not designed to go past 80 but everyone else is doing 120-150 mphs and blowing past us. By hey, its a "gift" because at least we have a CD player...

[@taggershine]

Those are all the symptoms known to be associated with Dyslexia and on average, most Dyslexics have only a few of those. Interestingly, most the symptoms you listed are yes, sometimes something a Dyslexic lacks in but are also quite often areas in which a Dyslexic is highly proficient; such as mathematics, memory, spatial awareness, processing speed, and quick recall. There is research supporting that they do have an advantage. The ted talk I linked in my second comment speaks to just that (the difference in proximity of axioms being wider in Dyslexics makes up for what they lack in what their non-Dyslexic peers have an advantage in). I have to disagree with you about teachers asserting that Dyslexia is a gift for the purpose of supporting their self-confidence. This may have been your experience and if it was, I am sorry, but this is not true. For the reasons I've just mentioned above, Dyslexia can be considered a gift in its own right as much as a non-Dyslexic's brain is a gift. Additionally, I have to disagree with you on why the term creativity is used. Sure, creativity cannot necessarily be measured or quantified, but if you compared the contributions of a Dyslexic to a non-Dyslexic, then it is evident why the word creative is commonly used. While a non-Dyslexic can read and write with great skill and produce fantastic results in their schooling and careers, a Dyslexic can create, build, and design in their schooling and more so in their careers with as much skill as the former. Of course, many employers are not interested in the creative abilities of a Dyslexic, but there are many others who are; such as accounting firms, architecture firms, computer science firms, and of course the majority of art-based career fields such as music, film, design, etc. Finally, your Autobahn analogy is in interesting one, very creative. If I may offer a suggestion: a Dyslexic will likely be that 3-cylinder smart car if they continue to try to keep up with their peers by methods of reading and writing. If however, a Dyslexic recognises this and builds on their strengths, then they would be better represented as finding a more efficient way of reaching the same destination as their fellow peers on the autobahn. A better example would be the road on Mt. Haruna, Japan. A Dyslexic would build a slide or an elevator straight to the bottom while their peers take longer driving down the series of twists and turns.

[@showandtell41]

Good pitch for a young women.