Location: Munising, MI, USA Posts: 797 Joined: 2010-10-09
A year ago, I became a diagnosed dyscalculic with visual spatial impairment and poor working memory. After 22 years of being told I was stupid, lazy, not trying hard enough, and a failure, I finally discovered the truth. I'm learning disabled. The last year has presented a lot of challenges, many of them related to dyscaluclia. I've had to tell my employer about my disability, a decision that I'm sure impacted not getting hired at the same level I was before my diagnosis. I've had to tell my family, some of them were accepting, some of them not so much. My professors had to find out. That was really a mixed bad. Some of them have been supportive, one has gone above and beyond to force me from my major.
One of the hardest things for me was right after the diagnosis, learning to accept myself fully. The dyscalculia wasn't too bad. I self-referred for testing to determine if in fact I was dyscaluclic. However, the visual-spatial impairment and poor working memory were more of a challenge. I was in shock for a while after my diagnosis. I had gotten the answers I sought, yet now, I had even more questions, more uncertainty, and an even bigger challenge. A year later, I've pretty much worked through everything, but it's been hard. My friends have helped a lot. Being able to talk about it has been good. One thing that still gets to me a year later is how few people even know dyscalculia exists! More has to be done to raise awareness. Maybe someday, others won't have to deal with just the general lack of understanding and acceptance.
I'm NOT lost, I'm just taking the scenic rout!
Squeakymonster, I applaud your courage and tenacity in the face of adversity! For someone with your learning disability you've come a long way from where you were a year ago.
Celebrate your successes, not your failures. Be proud of what you've accomplished, especially since throughout most of the time spent achieving those sucesses, you didn't even know you were learning disabled!
Ladyhawke
Algebra? When I learn decimals and fractions, you're welcome to try teaching me, but unless you have the patience of a saint and are very long-lived, good luck with that...
squeaky, like you, I self-referred when I was in college. I also came out as bi and really realized I was Jewish, having grown up in a mostly unaffiliated home. The LD thing was technically the third thing on my "awakening" overall and because of my other experiences, "coming out" as someone with LD wasn't very hard. BUT- I -do- recall the very first conversation I had with my dear, beloved aunt with whom I've always had a special connection. When I literally came out to her as bi <one of the first people I did this with>, the first thing she said was: I love you!
When I told her about the LD diagnosis, she also said: I love you!
Our journeys bring us many things to think about and learn from-
Edited by RottieWoman on May 02 2012 02:17 PM
I have dyscalculia also and although it is abit of a challenge with math and money it can be overcome and you can life a successful life. There are plenty of celebrities who have dyscalculia and other learning disabilities and look how they have made it. Cher one celeb for example has dyscaculia and suffers with math. Walt Disney and woffhi goldberg both have learning dusabilits also.
Even a few of the smartest people of our time had learning disabilites. So you see it is not that bad.
