Embracing Irlen Syndrome: one adult’s journey (Part 3)
Embracing Irlen Syndrome: one adult’s journey (Parts 1, 2 and 4) available HERE
Closing the knowledge gap
A diagnosis of Irlen Syndrome and groovy tinted lenses does not immediately cure 20 years of poor spelling, handwriting or reading. There is always a catch up period. My husband knew his coloured lenses had given him the ability to close his knowledge gap and he made the most of the opportunity. My husband was very determined to improve his English skills - particularly his letter and report writing. He found a retired teacher who came once a week to his workplace and tutored him in grammar and spelling techniques. He addressed his fear of public speaking by joining Toastmasters and the service club, Apex, where he won awards for public speaking. These days the people who hear him speak at events (including international conferences) would not believe that he once struggled to address a small group of peers. What I admire most about my husband is that he has never used Irlen Syndrome as an excuse for not being able to do things. He chose to understand how to manage the symptoms and supports others to achieve that too.
The exam study test
The next test for these coloured lenses was the professional accreditation exams. The headaches that my husband had experienced were gone. When he wore his lenses at work they filtered out the wavelengths of light that made it difficult for his brain to process what was on the page. This meant that his brain was not working overtime during office hours to read and process information. The tinted lenses made reading and studying after work much easier and achievable. We also learnt that there were others ways to make studying more comfortable. Instead of reading from a stark, white page, study notes were printed onto light green paper. The coloured paper further reduced the glare from the page and the words could be read more easily. My husband did not have to battle the rivers of white or merging text anymore. I think we both felt that we were coming to terms with how to manage Irlen Syndrome at home too. Wearing his glasses to read a measuring tape or recipe reduced so many simple mistakes!
‘I had a disability too – I had a family’
The Irlen Diagnostician’s report supported the use of green paper and extra reading time for exams. We thought that this would be taken into consideration by the accounting organisation who offered the post-graduate exams. My husband approached the person in charge of their post-graduate education and emailed him a list of simple accommodations for the exams as per the Irlen Diagnostician’s report. The coloured lenses, printing the exam on pale green paper and having extra reading time would put my husband on a much more level playing field. This man’s reply was extraordinary and extremely negative, “I had a disability when I did my professional accreditation exams. I had a family.” We were totally shocked at his response. My husband tried to discuss it further but to no avail. Today we would have challenged the decision but this happened 20 years ago. As young, twenty-six year olds starting out in our careers, we decided that it was not worth fighting the decision. This arrogant man had a very high opinion of himself and would ‘black-list’ my husband – he obviously saw no place in accounting for what he inaccurately termed “a dyslexic”. Instead my husband decided to approach another national accounting accreditation body. They were very happy to support and assist him. He passed all of those exams and he has achieved things in his career that he never thought possible before being diagnosed with Irlen Syndrome. Everyone needs somebody to believe in them and give them an opportunity. We have always been so grateful that my husband was given the opportunity that he deserved.
Our Irlen journey is not over
We are continually learning about Irlen Syndrome and more research is certainly needed to convince the sceptics. One in five people are thought to have Irlen Syndrome. It is actually a learning difference and once diagnosed, the symptoms can be managed. How well you manage it is the million dollar question. You can let others tell you that it is a disability and make you feel unable to reach your goals or you can find ways to manage it. We tell our children, who both have Irlen Syndrome, that the lucky ones are the people who know they have Irlen Syndrome because they can learn how to manage it. The people who never find out become frustrated or feel that they can’t achieve things. They often think that they’re not very bright. These people are the ones we hope to support and empower through our blogs and books. We also need to educate more people about what Irlen Syndrome really is. Irlen Syndrome has been part of our family for more than 20 years. We have learnt so much about it during this time. We have also found that it is often not considered a real condition. Our goal is to work with others to make sure that Irlen Syndrome becomes more accepted as a learning difference and is not dismissed or misunderstood by educators, medical professionals and strangely, even many dyslexic organisations. We are committed to identifying new ways to bring Irlen Syndrome out of the shadows and into mainstream education. One in five people are counting on it.
(Read More at Embracing Irlen Syndrome: one adult’s journey Part 4)
Author: Dr Annabel Bowcher (PhD), Science Communicator and co-author of the children’s chapter book adventure series, The Story Weavers of Bacalen.
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“Be strong enough to stand alone; smart enough to know when you need help; and brave enough to ask for it.”