What’s it like to face a day with dyslexia? Tougher than you’d think. Ahead of the International Day of Persons with Special Abilities, Parvathi Benu found just how tough simple, everyday things that
6.29 am
What is that sound? Must be the maid cleaning the courtyard. Good God, is it 6.30? Damn! I’d set the alarm for 6 pm instead of 6 am again. Thank Goodness I’m a light sleeper, small sounds wake me up. They say that someone my age should sleep for at least 6 hours a day. It’s been years since I slept that long. I remember going to bed at 11 pm, but I must have fallen asleep by 2 am, maybe. So that is 5 and a half ..no.. 4 and a half... I’m tired
7.17 am
I smell something delicious as I walked down the stairs to the dining room. Mumma has cooked pasta for breakfast. She’s been trying out a lot of these things lately. Something good today. I have that plate full of cheesy white pasta in front of me. I just can’t wait to eat it..oh wait! Here comes the trouble. With which hand do I hold the fork? Left or right? Right or left? Why can’t I just eat it with my hand? I’m spilling food again. I’m not a baby, why can’t I just eat it like everyone else? Anyway, I’ll quickly eat and leave to college. Can’t afford to be late for special class
7.38 am
Guess it is another bad day. Just like every day. I’d been trying to start my scooter for the past five minutes. How do I go?
Uber is on surge and Papa will take another hour to get
ready for work. I guess I have to take a bus now
7.55 am
I want to slap myself now. I’ve been staying here for the past 20 years and I know the bus stop is just a few blocks away. But walking there is IMPOSSIBLE. I’ve been to every single lane in this block, but I JUST can’t find it. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if GPS wasn’t there. Thank God I’m here finally
7.59 am
I see bus number 145 coming and there are empty seats. But is that the
same bus that goes to my college? Or was it 154? Or 183? Oh no! The bus just left.
I could have asked the conductor, at least. Am I EVER going to reach college today?
8.01 am
Is that Pooja over there? She was never a good friend and I remember her making fun of me. But at least I could go with her now. She smirked when I asked the bus number and said that I could go with her. Guess what? It was 145. I can see another 145 number bus coming my way, but this time it is crowded
8.38 am
Finally, I’ve reached the college gate. I’m late again for the lecture. Professor Sharma got another chance to show his skills at sarcasm. I’m the usual victim. I do not know what to say, so I just smile and thank him for letting me into the classroom. My seat in the corner is empty. I quietly settled there to listen to the rest of the lecture. Did I say listen?
That is what I aim to do, but most times all I hear is a static noise. I’ve stopped looking for that fly
9.02 am
The Professor is putting the important points on the whiteboard. Everyone has taken their notebooks and pens out. Does Professor Sharma’s marker have a red cap? Oh no! Not red markers again. The colour red always made my eyes go crazy. He knows that and so does the other teachers and my classmates. But, for them, it is fun to irritate me. I use blue overlays to read books, but these boards are always a problem. There were times when I’ve got blue markers for my teachers. Maybe today is just a bad day
12 pm
It is lunch time. I walked to the cafeteria alone. The only friend that I have is busy doing some ‘work’. I brought a tandoori chicken sandwich. At least there is no confusion eating this, even though I might spill something. Yuck
12.20 pm
I reached my empty classroom. I think I have some time to complete the sketch on which I’d been working. I think I’m very creative, even though I have never had the courage to show my work to everyone. I really wish to be a graphic designer and not an accountant. Wish someone could make my parents understand
1.03 pm
Someone just screamed that the mid-sem results are out. Everyone ran to the notice board to check them. Everyone except me, that is. I know what my results are. I ALWAYS do. I always took longer time for calculations. I never could finish a paper on time. Never scored a GPA above 5. Once the commotion was over, I slowly walked to the notice board and looked at my name. GPA 4.2. Not very good, but I’m happy I passed
5.05 pm
Another day done. I wonder if anyone would ever remember me after college is over. But wait, more trouble. I need to figure out the bus number to go home. I see Pooja coming. I quietly follow her without uttering a single word and spot bus number 145. Phew, that was close
5.40 pm
I got down at the bus stop and started walking towards my house. I’d been walking for the past 10 minutes and no sign of that familiar brown paint. HONK! I looked around. That was Papa. I got into the car. I did not bother to tell him about losing my way. I’m sure, he just won’t understand. Nobody does, anyway
5.42 pm
Home. Finally. My scooter is fixed now. I took my bag from the car and went to my room. That is the only place where I could find comfort. No one judges me here. The walls are full of my paintings. I open my book and restarted working on the sketch. Bliss
8.30 pm
I heard Mumma calling my name. I went downstairs for dinner. Mumma, Papa and my little sister Teena were waiting for me. We had rotis and paneer for dinner. Mumma and Papa were taunting me. Nothing harsh. But I went straight back to my room. I wish I could talk to them, but they want me to try harder, but it makes me feel more miserable. I’ve been listening to them ever since my first day at school. Icing on the cake, Teena is first in her class. I wish there was someone who could understand me
10 pm
My sketch is almost done. I’ve set an alarm for 6 pm. Let me try to sleep at least tonight. Please. PLEASE
Dyslexia in adults can manifest as a specific reading disorder, underemployment,
difficulty navigating academic environments, difficulty on the job, or reduced self-confidence
Becomes frustrated or overwhelmed with long forms or sequential processes
Has difficulty focussing and staying on task — may feel more comfortable managing many different tasks simultaneously
May be a perfectionist and overreact when they make a mistake
Misuses, or mispronounces words without realizing it
May lose track of time and is frequently late — or is highly aware of it and is very rarely late
Sticks to what they know — fear of new tasks or any situation where they are out of comfort zone
Extremely disorderly or compulsively orderly
Poor recall of conversations or sequence of events
DISCLAIMER: Most of these everyday dyslexic problems were related to us by a number of people from across India and abroad. They have been bunched together to give people a snapshot into what their lives are like. No one person is usually affl icted in all these ways. Names withheld on request