RFBD Changed My Life

When the neuropsychologist told me that I suffered from a learning disability, I was relieved. Beginning in kindergarten, even though I had expended a lot of time and energy trying to decode words, to memorize words using flashcards, and to do all my assigned work conscientiously, I still struggled to read. Eventually, I avoided, to the extent possible, reading aloud for fear of embarrassment and humiliation. In first grade, I continued to shy away from reading aloud because, on those occasions when I gathered the confidence to do so, my classmates often teased me. At the insistence of my parents, a neuropsychologist tested me at the end of first grade. It was a sense of relief when I learned that I was not “dumb,” but had a diagnosed learning disability called dyslexia.

At that instant, it was easy for me to understand what the neuropsychologist and my parents told me. There was a reason for my slow understanding of the text and it helped me realize that I did not have to listen to the kids in my class call me “stupid” anymore.

Throughout my elementary education, I worked harder than my peers to complete reading assignments, but my tenaciousness allowed me to conquer any lingering self-doubt that I harbored. As I entered high school, I vowed not just to succeed, but also to excel. I was introduced to the Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, in the ninth grade. The Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic is a “national nonprofit, volunteer organization, has been the leading accessible audio book library for students with disabilities such as visual impairment or dyslexia that make reading standard print difficult or impossible for the last 60 years.” With the assistance of these books on CD, I mastered my freshman college preparatory classes. I was very grateful to the resources I was offered through Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic knowing that my brother had succeeded and flourished with the use of these books on CD as well. When my freshman English teacher suggested that I enroll in an honors English class the following year, I accepted the challenge. I felt that I had accomplished a level of personal growth over the years and that I was being finally recognized for all my hard work. Nonetheless, I could not help but reflect upon all those years that I had struggled so hard to “stay afloat” in a regular English curriculum. Now I was poised to move into a reading-intensive honors program. After dominating the honor English classes I later proceeded to take Advance Placement courses that required many reading assignments. As I read the novels or textbooks, I was able to follow along easily with the CDs. The CDs helped me stay on track by having it read aloud orally. My understanding of the text improved and these books on CD really helped me overcome my fear of reading.

With my newly found confidence, I have learned to love to read. After realizing that I could overcome my struggles by expending extra effort, I understood that I could truly excel in this area. Now that I am enrolled at Loyola Marymount University as an English major, I look back on those days of first grade and thank my parents, and Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic for all that they did for me, because I most likely would not be able to have come this far with out them. I was able to accept the fact that I needed other people to assist me in my learning. I was not going to be able to do so on my own; therefore, allowing others to help me through different teaching techniques, I have learned to master my learning disability and overcome it.

- Monica Augustyn