I am Helen. This is my Dyslexia Story

It was the 1980s. I was in primary school when I started noticing a pattern.  Every time I handed in my writing, it came back covered in red marks.

Spelling mistakes.
Grammar corrections.
Error after error.

At first, it was just confusing. Then, came the embarrassment. The shame.

The anxiety. Everyone else seemed to keep up. I was falling behind.

And no one could tell me why.

Secondary school came, and I learned how to mask it well.
Smile.
Nod.
Copy.
Anything to avoid standing out, or worse, looking stupid.

What I didn’t know then, is what I celebrate now: My brain was simply wired differently.

I process the world through pictures, textures, movement, not just words.

I was asking questions others weren’t:
Where? Why?
And most of all — how?
How does the world work?
How do things fit together?

The education system didn’t have space for minds like mine. It rewarded memory over imagination. Structure over creativity. Reading and writing became the only measure of intelligence.

So I kept my creativity in the shadows.
But it never left me.

I found freedom in fabrics, in colours, in how materials move and drape. Freedom in making something from nothing.

Eventually, that quiet creativity led me to art school. A degree in fashion design.

And then, I found myself in a job that fit me perfectly: A children’s wear garment technician.

I hadn’t planned it — I didn’t even know it existed. But it matched my strengths in ways I never imagined.

Years later, on a warm day in March,
I finally got the call.

After decades of wondering,
I was formally diagnosed with dyslexia.

And I cried.
But not out of sadness.

Tears of joy.
Tears of relief.

Because for the first time,
I didn’t have to hide.
I could stop masking.

This… is me.

This is Dyslexia.

It’s not a limitation. It’s a different way of seeing.

We think in 3D.
We question everything.
We solve complex problems from fresh angles.

We’re creators.
Innovators.
Deep thinkers.

We’re surgeons saving lives.
Astronauts exploring galaxies.
Athletes are pushing human boundaries.
Designers are building the future from clothes to cars and beyond.

So I ask you:

Would you rather live in a world ruled by red markings,
Where intelligence is judged by spelling tests and reading skills?

Or…

Would you rather embrace a world shaped by dyslexic minds —
Minds that envision what hasn’t been created yet…
And then make it a reality.

This is Dyslexia.

I am Helen Newton and proud to be dyslexic.