An 11-Year Old Speaks About His Dyslexia Experience

We sat down for a video interview with William H., a student in New Jersey who is dyslexic and, in his own unique way, a very passionate and creative supporter of Learning Ally's mission. He's pictured here with his father, Chris. "What's hard about being dyslexic? It's hard because sometimes when I'm reading a chapter book, it mixes up the words and it makes me struggle. Sometimes the letters flip around or they change. Sometimes when I write a word, it will switch around and I'll write a word wrong. And sometimes when I say a word, it comes out differently out of my mouth and that could just make me lose my place on a page.   "Yeah. . . And it's just mentally hard. It can get frustrating sometimes. . . "What's cool about being dyslexic? Well, you get to see the world in a different point of view than most people. Because most people don't know how it is to struggle at a young age. We do. Dyslexia is a great thing to have because it will let you see the world in a different way, and maybe some people may bully you or call you different but you're not. Now you know who you are, you will probably be the best that you can be.

"In that moment, I felt good that I'm not all alone in this world."

"Learning Ally is cool and helpful because it lets you see and read the words...It helps me read the books that all my other friends are reading so I can say, like, 'Yeah, I read that book too and I liked it!' And I get to read all these cool chapter books that I couldn't have read without it. "When we went to the Learning Ally Winterfest, I was a little bit surprised because I thought I was the only one in my grade that I knew of that had, like, this problem. And I was surprised there were so many people like me. "I was, like, 'Yeah, there's a lot of people like me, Mom.' And -- and then I found all these things about me and it made me feel good. In that moment, I felt good that I'm not all alone in this world." Per Will's recommendation: to learn more about how you can help Learning Ally give the gift of reading, learning and community support to thousands of students just like him, click HERE.