Reflective Essay: The Definition Of Learning Disability

The definition of a learning disability is a neurological disorder that is characterized by difficulty in the understanding of learning to read or interpret words, letters and other symbols, but that does not affect general intelligence. An abundance of people, both with and without learning disabilities believe that those with a LD are dumb and cannot succeed, but I have never let my disability define who I am and my ability to succeed in school and in life.
Growing up I always knew there was something wrong in the way I learn, my academics were never on grade level and I was always behind my classmates. I remember getting very frustrated all though school because I could not spell the simplest words or read was well as everyone else. I never understood why I was different than my classmates. It wasn’t until my sophomore year,
when I was failing every single one of my chemistry tests because I couldn’t comprehend what the question was asking and I couldn’t spell the chemical formulas, that my teacher asked me if I had ever been tested for a learning disability. I remember getting tested and being very stress out about it because I was afraid it was going to tell me what I already knew; that I was different. So when my results got back my parents sat me down and told me that I had been diagnosed with a reading dyslexia and in that moment all my struggles that I had in the past started to make sense.
There was one thing I was very confident about after my conversation with my parents it was that I was not going to let my dyslexia hold me back from my ultimate goal of graduating college and getting the job of my dreams. That next week my family and I had conversations with all my teachers and with my tutoring place to work out a plan to help me succeed in school. That was when I finally started to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I finally saw that even though I had a LD it doesn’t mean that I should give up on my dream, it was just the opposite.
I decided then that I would make sure I did everything I could to succeed.
I wasn’t going to let my LD get the best of me. I made my LD a part of my life. I changed how I studied, took tests, and I made it a routine that I talked to my teachers every week on how I would succeed. With those changes I started to see the improvement. I went from making C’s in classes to making A’s. I went from being in the bottom 25% of my class to the top 25%. And I even started to see improvement in myself, I had less anxiety and I became more confident. I knew that I could finally make my dream come true.
I have always wanted to go to college. Even after I found about my LD I still felt the want and desire to go even if it meant I would have to work harder to go, the work was worth it to me. A college education is something that can only help me succeed in life. The past two years since my diagnoses I have learned far more than I had before. I understand how I can strive in my academics while in college. I believe that college is a way to prove to myself and others that even though my LD has slowed me down it doesn’t stop me completely from
achieving.
A majority of people are shocked to find out that I am dyslexic because I am in NHS, 11th in my class and do very well in school. But little do they know I spend countless hours a night at tutoring places studying and getting the help I need to excel. I would be lying if I said it was easy because it is not when you are also trying to balance extra-curricular activities and work but I would not have it any other way. I am proud of what I have accomplished in school and I will continue to strive for my ultimate goal of graduating college and getting the job of my dreams. I along with many other students with a LD are an example as to why hard work, determination and never letting your learning disability define you can be all you need to succeed in school and in life.