Having difficultly reading their own handwriting, expressing thoughts into writing, and focusing in class, junior Andy Helms and freshman Joseph McMahon both have Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, and ADD. “Basically, my own handwriting is so sloppy that I can’t even read it. With the combination of Dyslexia and ADD, it takes me a longer time to write and correct papers especially for any grammatical stuff,” said Helms.
Not being able to write as quickly as everyone else, taking a longer time to finish assignments, and going to a different room to take tests can often cause many students with learning disabilities to be looked down upon by their peers. “Sometimes people give you a hard time because they don’t know you have a disability, to they just think you’re stupid,” said McMahon.
Taking classes with other students with learning disabilities such as Learning Lab for freshman and Academic Support for sophomores, juniors, and seniors, can help students feel more comfortable taking their time to learn in whichever way works best for them. “You never have to worry about being made fun of because they’re all going through the same thing,” said McMahon.
Using laptops at school has been a tremendous help to students with learning disabilities, especially those with Dysgraphia. “In grade school, I was self conscious because everyone else could write a lot faster than me. But, with all of the computers and stuff in today’s technology, I don’t really feel out of place,” said Helms.