#reading disability

do you know about dyslexia?

desiblr? remember ishan awasthi? yes, that.

dyslexia, word blindness, the reading disability that has always been shoved in the comedy toolbox by media, by people who have never felt even the slightest brush of inconvenience.

ever wondered how it feels like to read a text while being dyslexic? what the "floating, jumpy letters" possibly look like?

Dsxyliea is an amazing website that presents a rather damn close stimulation [I'm not dyslexic, so i cannot be speaking from any experience, but this is the general opinion that has emerged].

it is short, concise, but mate i've been trying to read it off and on for an hour [plus i'm taking class notes simultaneously so excuseeee me].

so yeah, go check it out, try to understand what's so funny. and if i hear another dyslexic prostitute joke i am gonna throw hands.

And then my older sister brought Sandry's Book home from the library as an audiobook. This was in 2008, when audiobooks were a lot less common than they are now. It was on a CD and I remember sitting in my room listening to it, and feeling my chest swell from joy and excitement.

It was life-changing. I was enthralled by the story of these four kids. I read the physical book along with it, and finally, finally, reading made sense. I could finally match up the sounds I heard with the words I saw, and it clicked in a way it never had before.

I taught myself to read from Tammy's books. The first book I ever read cover to cover of my own accord was Magic Steps. The very first piece of fanfiction I wrote was on loose-leaf paper for Tamora Pierce.

As a bullied kid, it was clear I was unwanted everywhere I went. But in Tammy's books? Those four were unwanted too. They were hurt and angry but they often chose to be kind, even when it was hard. They stood up for what they believed in even if nobody else did.

These books changed my life in ways I can't express. I'm not sure I would love reading as much as I do if I hadn't been given her books. If I didn't read, I definitely wouldn't write.

🎊HELLO HELLO🎊 I was shoving all my saved tabs into folders so my desktop wouldn’t be such a fucking mess and it has come to my attention that the bionic reader website I’ve had saved for a while now lets you paste text, upload files, and link websites to convert to bionic text!!! For those who don’t know what bionic reading is, it essentially bolds the portion of words that your brain needs to know what the word is, which increases reading speed and efficiency! The remaining word is filled in in your brain, so you’re spending less time trying to process an entire word. This is especially huge for people who have reading disorders and other neurodivergencies! I’ve never been formally tested for dyslexia, but I have ADHD and struggle immensely with reading text, especially on a screen, so any difficulty with reading often results in distraction. The first time I tried bionic reading, I was literally in awe because not only was I not spending excess time getting through each line, I actually processed the information I was reading. The fact that this is now accessible to anyone with an internet connection genuinely makes me cry happy tears.

AND THERE’S AN APP! I get to read Wikipedia articles on my phone with dark mode AND bionic text! I don’t have to choose! Even if you don’t struggle with reading, please consider trying this out—it improves efficiency for everyone—so bionic reading is shown support and becomes more accessible and normalized! It’s so important for our community to have access to tools that help us navigate the world, and this is a huge step in the right direction. I’m so grateful to live in a time where this exists.

HERE is the site!

HERE is the app link!

I don’t think this was necessary!

I do have a reading disability, but that’s not actually that relevant. If I had a bad take, or misunderstood something, it’s totally fine to express that.

You don’t need to be hostile or rude about it though! Not only does it make the recipient less likely to be open to listening, but it’s also just unnecessarily hurtful.