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Hi My name is marie and i am 18 years old, i knew things wern't write eith my spelling or handwriting for ages. The secondry school i went to didn't really help, they just said i was lazy and wern;'t working hard enough ? ( i worked 6 hours a day for my GCSES and walked away with 8 ). i started college and i was really struggling with my A/S level so the colllege listend and it was confirmed that i had dyslexia? so i changed courses and do AVCE science and a Level PE , i am doing well working with children and hoping to go to Unverisity to study Outdoor education with a PGCE, to become a teacher. Every dark cloud has a silver lining and ok i have got dyslexia, however i think it has made me more patient and more driven to succed ibn my chosen career path. So good luck to everyone,YOU will succude MARIE (April 2003)

my name is amamda and i come from stirling. i am now at collage studying hairdressing. i had quite a bit of trouble with my writing and reading. i had gone through school with those problems and none of the teachers thought anything of it. i an now 17 and foud out i am dyslexic with reading. when i started collage everyone in my class thought i was just pure dumb as i couldn't do the work. i explained to them that i was slightly dyslexic with my writing and reading and now when ever i need help they are always thier for me. all my friends are supportive and very helpful. Amanda (March 2003)

For as long as i can remember, my older sister had been dyslexic. Her name is Ellie. when i was little I never understood why she came home from school every day crying. Then when i was 7 my mum explained it all. She was dyslexic. She will never be the same again but since she started a special needs secondary school, she can read and write almost properly even now. She is 17 soon and as she wants to be a fashion designer so the reading and writing will help a little. I like to think that art helped her to understand being dyslexic. She began to understand that being dyslexic didn't mean she was useless and that she was rubbish at everything. Art was totally her thing. even if you don't post this it doesn't matter i just wanted to tell you her story. She's such a star. Thanks!!! (March 2003)

For my first three years at school I went to a private school in Essex. I was always really bad at spelling and the teachers were awful they pushed to learn words over night that I still have trouble spelling now. It wasn’t until I moved to a public school in Norfolk that someone realised I had a problem. I went to see the specail needs teacher and she told me had I had slight dyslexia. At last everything made sense! My dyslexia wasn’t bad enough for me to need specail help but that didn’t made hearing people call me thick because I couldn’t spell any easier. I am now 15 years old and will be taking my G.C.S.Es in a few months. I am in the top group for English and I am predicted a B grade. Which is amazing! It’s still difficult when I’m writing an essay and I have to get up every five minutes to find a dictionary but luckily we can type up neat copies of our work on the computer and the spell checker comes in very handy in fact I’m using it right now! I don’t think the teachers know about my dyslexia and they aren’t very helpful. I remember having to do spelling test in year 8 and then read out our scores other people were getting 19/20 and I got 2! I suppose my story shows that just because you are dyslexic it doesn’t mean you are thick and you should never listen to anyone who says you are! (March 2003)

Hiya Well every since primary school i was always put into the lowest groups and called thick for spelling and maths problems. In Primary five my teacher was really horrible and she shouted at me if i got stuff rwrong like mental Maths. she used to shout "you are so thick you should be back in primary two". i was told i might have to be kept back but my mum said to the skool i was just as smart as every1 else and i should be with my class. in high school i have just finshed my exams and my english teacher now understnads i have slight dislexia and she helps with most of my essays. i managed 2 get a grade 2 (in scotish standard grads that is good!) in english writing Going from being called thick to that is an achievemet! i'm now waiting for my exams next year and i got a lead roles in school review (show) any i better go If you dream go for! I know am going to be a singer and i'm going for it!!! Claire (April 2003)

Hi. My name is Christopher (Chris). I am 9 years old. I have only known i had dyslexia a couple of months. I have some ups and downs now i know i have dyslexic. I have got spelling diyslexic. I am getting better at my spelling and my hand is up most of the time for spelling now. I would like to thank all of my famly and Miss Thorn and Miss Berney for helping me. (February 2003)

Hi my name is Hannah and I am 10 years old. I've known I was dyslexic for four years.Sometimes it is hard because people say things about you because your dyslexic but my friends stick up for me. I am doing very good in my class. I get someone to come out to help me. I would like to say a BIG thanks to my mum, dad, faimly, Mrs Bell and to a teaher called Mrs Dooher beacuse if I didn't have them I would be no were.My Mum has been they one I would relly like to thank beause she as fought for me and help me all the whay through.I think you'r website is fab. So don't let dyslexia beat you. (February 2003)

HI I was recognised as being dyslexic when I was 8 and dyspraxic when I was 19, (I am now 22) and when I was at primary school it wasn't really recognised and so got called slow and lazy and had to suffer several 0/10 on spelling tests!!!! I am now at Cambridge University, I started by studing maths for my first 2 years and am now doing education and am going to be a primary teacher. When I graduate from my PGCE next year!!!! (January 2003)

hi i am kate. I am 13 years old. i have known for about 1 year now that i am Dyslexic. when i was in n s Teachers used to make me feel stupid and make a fool out of me, BUT when i went to secondry it was a totaly different story and now i don't have to read aloud and teachers don't singal you out. i just have found out that i have scotopic senstiivity syndrome or sss this means that i have to read through colour.this has made a HUGE DIFFRENCE in school for me. thanks (February 2003)

my name is lisa draffan and i'm very dyslexic, at school i was picked on, didnt have much confidence and always got put in the bottom sets for everything, and left with no GCSE's. After school i worked for four years in a shop then one day i realised i could do more with my life, so i went back to college and did an acess course in business studies. i went on to do a HND in Business and Finance at Salford University, and now i am studying for my degree in marketing at Wolverhampton University and hope to graduate next January,i hope this helps other dislexic people, because you can do anything if put your mind to it. (January 2003)

Dear Barnaby, Today we heard about your website and with the help of our Mum we looked up your site, we have found it very interesting and great to read so many success stories. Our story is still ongoing, my mum noticed things were not right with my reading and kept saying at school that I was having problems but was told that I was fine but Mum persisted and eventually it was diagnosed that I was dyslexic and am now getting special help in school and also a teacher comes to our house once a week and my reading has improved greatly, this year my sister Amy was also seen to be having reading problems and has now also been diagnosed as dyslexic. Thanks for the encouragement we have got from your website. Lisa and Amy (January 2003)

I am a 27 year old dyslexic. When I was at primary school my mother asked if they thought I was dyslexic, but they told her that I was average for the class. Even though I had terrible spelling and no evidence of any punctuation in any of my stories, they put it down to me trying to finish my work quickly so I was first. When I started my A levels I started to struggle with the reading load I had especially in History. I never liked reading in fact my favoutrite books were Asterix and Tintin, lots of pictures and not a lot of words. My mum asked school again if they thought I was dyslexic and they again said no. This time we decided to get a test done. I was diagnosed as being dyslexic with a low reading and spelling age. Don't even mention Maths I still can't add 2 numbers together without my fingers. Ironically, I am now an English language teacher. I teach foreign students how to speak, read and write English. A main part of my job is teaching English grammar and punctuation, something I hated at school. Dyslexia has helped me in my job, I know how to explain English grammar easily and clearly because it's how I remember it. I still have dyslexic moments when my spelling is a bit funny but my students correct me (I treat it as a test for them). I actually have a dyslexic Swiss student at the moment. Dyslexia is not a hinderance, every dyslexic has something they are good at. Some Dyslexics are good at science (Albert Einstien) art (Leonardo da Vinci) drama (Tom Cruise) with me it's languages I speak 3 (English, French and Japanese) and I am learning a 4th (Brazilian Portuguese) Dyslexic have to work harder than other people but can be just as successful. Don't give up. (January 2003)

When I was in primery school my teachers alwys thought I was dysleic but if I wayted for the school to send me to the dylexya instortute I would be in secondery school ,so my mam and dad payed for me to go. I soon found out that I was dyslexic . All my freinds were realy helpfull and would tell me if I had spelled something wrong . Becouse it cost my mam and dad a hole lot of mony I wrote a letter to Tony Blair (I didnt think he would write back but guess what he did!!!)After I wrote to Tony Blair the school asked me to do a talk about dyslexia which I thought was really cool. I had to resherch a hole load of stuff like Tom Crouse, Albert Einstein (you know suposetly the smartest person of his time) were dyslexic too so that made me feel a hole load better. (January 2003)

I had a very bad time at school because Dyslexia was not known about. I was always in trouble for my spellings and it made me feel so low, and even now I add up on my fingers and do not seem to have the continuity to know my tabels!!! I read my first kids book through when I was 12, before then I looked at the pictures. But I worked hard, and illustrated all my notes and got all my o'levels, and struggled to get two A'levels. I applied to teacher training college as I wanted to make a better job of teaching kids then I the teachers of my school. But in my interview,right at the end they said:'by the way, what is your spelling like?' I was shocked as I had checked and re-checked my application form. So I just asked them how they knew, and they said my application form was riddled with spelling mistakes. These are the times when you have tried so hard, that it is frustrating! Well, I told them that I would still make a better teacher because I understood how difficult it is for kids, and I got my place, and graduated 4 years later with a good hons degree, and went into teaching in deprived areas, which is what I wanted to do. (January 2003)

Congratulations on winning the Yahoo! Prize. I think your site is terrific it is very useful and inspiring. I am a dyslexic 30 year old who also went through being called lazy and stupid when I was young. Luckily my parent realised that this was not the case and took me to an educational psychologist, who diagnosed me as dyslexic. I was taken to a school where they had an excellent teacher who could help me. Since then I got high marks in my GCSE’s and A levels and I have a degree in Economics and Modern History from Manchester University, and I am now a senior manager for one of the worlds largest media companies. Remember dyslexia is a gift, which often helps you to see things better than non-dyslexics. After all Einstein was dyslexic and Richard Branson is dyslexic, proof that dyslexics can achieve anything. Keep up the excellent work with this site, you are an inspiration to us all! (January 2003)

dear barnaby, i saw this web site on breakfast tv this morning and it has really encouraged me even though i am 25 years old! every story on this site sounds like my life. i was not told i was dislexic until i was 20 years old and a new college friend whos mum was a teacher oicked up on it when i was tested i had the reading and writing ability of a seven year old. my mum always new there was something wrong as i couldnt even tie my shoe laces (and still cant to this day) i also was bullied by several teachers and not given any hope of sucsess. but im glad to say that although i still havent had any help (and dont really know where to get it form)i am currently writtinh up my thesis for a phd in chemistry and dispite being dislexic i have been oferd a really good job with lots of money!!!!i have left this message uncorrected because i dont think that we should feel ashamed that we cant spell. one of my professers (who is a goverment advise) said that dislexia should be thought of as a gift because most of the really intelegent people that he has met have been dislexic. keep up the good work ! barnaby you are a rel inspiration. (January 2003)

I am 28 and am dyslexic, though I'm English I grew up in the US. I struggled a lot, but thanks to hard work and help from my parents I managed straight As. When it came time to take the SAT (it is the standard test taken in America for university entrance), I was given extra time and special paper. I also had someone to fill in the answers on the scoresheets (which are just rows and rows of circles). I worked hard to prepare and scored 1450 out of 1600 - that's in the top half percent of the United States. I have a BA(Hons) from an Ivy League school in History and English. I am now a professional writer in London. I hope this helps people realise that dyslexia or not, you really can achieve anything you put your mind to. (January 2003)