Funny thing about dyslexia...

Ever find yourself trying to explain why you listen to your beach reading? That in fact it was not an auto-correct misspelling? That you cannot talk backwards? Yeah me to. A place to share our stories.

[dyslexchick]

(via GIPHY)

[dyslexchick]

What the Hell do You Mean I "Don't Look Disabled"?

I have an invisible disability. People at parties seem to find this both fascinating and terrifying. I suppose it’s my own fault for brining it up, but sometimes it’s inescapable. Sometimes, though, I’m just feeling bloody-minded.

Here are some of my favorite (repeated) things that people have felt it necessary to say to me. 

“YOU DON’T LOOK DISABLED.” You know, It’s a funny thing, no two disabled people look like. In fact, besides being roughly humanoid, none of the disabled people I know look like each other. But somehow I don’t think that’s quiet what you mean. Lets move on. 

“BUT YOU’RE SO SMART!”  Oh, THAT’S what you mean! Well you’re right, of course, I’ve only been dazzling you with my sparkling wit and scintillating conversation to distract you from my complete lack of either sparkling wit or scintillating conversation. 

“WHAT’S IT LIKE?” Well you know how you can’t read… (Insert language with entirely differnt alphabet from their own. I find that Chinese works for the average English speaker.)? Go read that right now, then come back and tell me how it feels (then I’ll laugh in your face because thats not the half of it.)

“I DON’T LIKE THE WORD DISABLED.” Shut up! I already covered you in another post!

“I HAVE ADD AND I’M ALRIGHT.” I’ve covered you too, toots. 

“OK.” I like you. 

“INTERESTING, TELL ME MORE.” I love you. 

“COULD I RECORD SOME OF THIS?” Ok, you’ve overstepped your bounds. I’m going to back away now.

[dyslexchick]

I aggressively still stand with this.

[dyslexchick]

I made a thing! Here’s the trailer for my super gay, super disability inclusive web series! 

[dyslexchick]

Guess who's back?

Hi kids! A lot has happened since I've been away. First of all I'm dictating this from my phone. I remember when I first started this blog that seems like an impossibility! This really is a world that's moving very fast in a lot of ways. One way it is not moving fast is media depictions of disabled people. I can't Point to just one bad example because they're all bad. From the self-sacrificing prop in "Me Before You" to the 'dares not speak its name' disability hinting in "The Big Bang Theory". Disabled people in media or either a joke or a prop and to advance the story of the able-bodied or Nuro typical protagonist. I for one am sick of it. That is why while I've been away from this blog I've been developing and producing a web series. It's called "symbiotic" it comes out this spring and open TV. I will give everything away but I'll give a few highlights. -All the disabled characters are played by actors with those disabilities. - It shows disabled people living on their own and having a healthy loving relationships and sex lives. - Not all the people in it or white or cis. - it's actually funny and not about hand ringing or wishing we were 'normal'. I'm super excited about it. I'm also super excited restart this blog. I hope you don't mind the shameless self promotion. I hope some if you tune in.

[dyslexchick]

The greatest compliment I ever received…

was from when I was a nanny. The two little girls had been reading  the kind of YA novel where the kids have to solve the whole problem themselves because the adults are morons (also known as every YA novel ever.) As I was putting them to bed that night the older girl looked at me and said, “If we told you there was a monster after us you’d believe us.” That is my new standard for trust.

[dyslexchick]

Panic Attack (a poem)

I saw the clouds fly and I thought should I die. What the hell. That was dumb really dumb, fucking dumb, I am a dumb shit. Shit. Shoot. I don’t want to die, not really. Never. Ever. No really. Not really. I want to be immortal. Seriously I don’t want to. Live. No! Die. I just thought live, didn’t mean it. Really didn’t. Trying not to think it, so I thought it. I want to. Live. Live live live live live lve lve lve luve luve Love. I want to LOVE! That’s good. Love is good. I want to love…I do love. It won’t stop death. What the hell, that was dumb, really dumb. Fucking dumb, some cliché shit. Shoot. I saw some clouds fly and fuck it, what’s on TV?

[dyslexchick]

The plays the thing

I wrote a play!

"Yay! Horray! We're so proud of you!"

Thank you imaginary audience, but please don't interrupt. So as I was saying. I wrote a play and it is getting produced in NYC. This is not bragging on my part... ok, just a little bragging. Come on I could read or write until middle school I get to brag a little.

The point is you can do anything you put your mind to. Seriously. I. could.not.write.until. 8th. grade. Never let anyone say you can't do something because of your disability. Most important, never say that to yourself. You are super cool. You are amazing. You can do whatever you want to do (as long as your don't hurt anyone else). 

I do realize that I wrote almost the same post last year but serious;y... each time I have play produced it just blows my mind and moves me beyond belief. 

[dyslexchick]

Dyslexchick is back!

Hi all, I’ve missed you terrible. After a year on the work force I am back. Back with more gripes. Back with more quips. Back with more suggestions about how to make the world better for the disabled!  

Love you.

[dyslexchick]

As a dyslexic artist. I approve of this fully!

[beingdyslexic]

When your teacher wants you to read in front of class

[dyslexchick]

One of my teachers straight up banned me from reading in class. Interrupted me in the middle of reading a page and told me I was too slow and should let someone else do it if I couldn't. This was a college class.

[dyslexic-kids]

[dyslexchick]

Truth

[tastefullyoffensive]

[x]

[dyslexchick]

That took me way to long to figure out...

[dyslexchick]

Dyslexchick is back!

Hi all, I've missed you terrible. After a year on the work force I am back. Back with more gripes. Back with more quips. Back with more suggestions about how to make the world better for the disabled!  

Love you.

[dyslexic-kids]

"Never discourage anyone who makes continual progress, no matter how slow" - Plato

[dyslexchick]

Update from Dyslexchick

Hi All, 

Sorry the postings have fallen off. Still got all kinds of dyslexic dilemmas due for discussion. I've ust been working on my new play NOT RETARDED (shameless self promotion time):

Not Retarded follows the graceless Gertie, her younger, questionably straight brother Bret, and their aging yet sharp Mamma as they deal with realities that force them to question how far they can push unconditional love.

The play goes up in the Manhattan Rep on the 31st of this month and runs on the 2nd, 4th, 8th and 10th of August. Book your tickets now by emailing [email protected]

[dyslexchick]

I. Graduate. From. College. Today.

I couldn’t even spell college until a year ago.

What makes me qualified to graduate from one?

[dyslexchick]

I have trouble with eye contact. I just don’t like it and don’t see a reason to indulge people’s silly insistence on it. Being a paranoid child I used to credit my hatred of the eyes of others with racism. “Why can’t you look in her eyes? Is it because she’s Asian? Why did you even notice that?…

[dyslexchick]

In response. I am aware of that. And do engage in give and take. This post was meant to be a sort of humorous response after someone asked if I had Autism just based on my lack of eye contact. I have been working for years on improving my eye contact. And I great people any type of leeway they need. Truth be titled mostly I thought it was a funny title. :)

[dyslexchick]

Excuse me buddy, my boobs are down there!

I have trouble with eye contact. I just don’t like it and don’t see a reason to indulge people’s silly insistence on it. Being a paranoid child I used to credit my hatred of the eyes of others with racism. “Why can’t you look in her eyes? Is it because she’s Asian? Why did you even notice that? Why must you hat everyone who doesn’t look like you?” Of course this ignored the fact that I did not like looking in the eyes of my own family. Black, White, Asian, Latino, I could not make eye contact with any of them. It just makes me uncomfortable, I can’t really explain it. Now this has lead a lot of over eager ( if well meaning) people to assume that I have autism. These people are the same kind who I assume think that all this’d kids are dyslexic because they can’t read, and that all people who wear sunglasses are blind. But I don’t fault them. I just laugh at them with my autistic friends while maintaining a comfortable level of eye contact (none whatsoever).