Our Director/Owner Matthew would like to bring our attention to Dyslexia Awareness Month and to share his personal experiences.
“I now definitely see my dyslexia as an advantage!
Ok my spelling is bad I struggling with my reading, my handwriting is not good, I sometimes get my b’s and my d’s the wrong way around, on days I can spell the easiest words then the next day I struggle! It takes me A lot longer to read and understand emails and to write and reply to emails. I constantly get people in my office to check my emails before I send them. I get lost in group WhatsApp messages as it takes me a lot longer to read them and respond by the time I check my message and respond they have moved on to the next conversation which is always very frustrating And slightly embarrassing especially if it’s with people that don’t really know me to well, This is also the case at restaurants when I’m reading the menus 👎🏻
When I was younger it definitely affected me more because I didn’t under stand it and why I was I the lower classes at school it was hard and FRUSTRATING and definitely not down to trying.
As far as I’m aware none of my parents or grandparents were dyslexic they possibly could of been because back then there was less known about it.
I remember my mum fighting very hard for me when I was younger to get help, she got tutors in to see me and got me after hours dyslexic learning (this cost a lot of money my parents definitely weren’t well off). I think my my mum found it hard for me because my body and genetics were many years ahead of my brain. I was heads and shoulders taller than anyone else in my year or year above I really did look like a teenager at 8/9 years old but my learning wasn’t there so looking at me I look like I was years behind kids my size.
I know my mum struggled with this like I said she really did fight for me to get help at school.
As an Young man and adult I have adapted and definitely used my strength as do most people with dyslexia. I excelled at every sport I tried, my mind works differently to other people. I am the most driven person I never like to lose or fail in ANYTHING I do. I am good with numbers and have a great memory, I had a great skill of only being shown how to do things once and then I would master it, I could look at a drawing on how to build something once and understand it straight away and be able to build it without looking at the drawing again (this includes big in depth engineers drawings). I am very good with my hands and could build anything I’ve had this skill from being a kid playing Lego building toys and big jigsaw puzzles with my grandad.
I could remember how to do everything once I have done it once in work, which is CRAZY I know when I struggle to spell a small simple word at times!!
Dyslexia runs in families and my daughter has been diagnosed with it. I used to feel bad for this because I know it come from me and at the start I worried about the challenges she would have like I had. But me and my wife Kirsty got my daughter Connie help at a very young age and she is doing great she will be able to do anything she wants to do in life and I tell her that every day.
One of my greatest things was going to my daughters school and talking to all the kids about my troubles at school with learning and how I adapted/dealt with it and become a business owner (anyone that knows me knows I struggle reading out loud to people and the only reason I done this is because my little girl begged me to come in and talk her friends about my work and business because she is proud of me ❤️ ) I thought I would share a bit of my story as it is Dyslexia awareness month.
If anyone reads this and can relate or is struggling or maybe would like to talk please drop me a message! info@mrindustrialservices.co.uk“
Matthew Ross
Managing Director
