Author dispels dyslexic myths

Thomas West, author of In The Mind's Eye, spoke yesterday on the positive and negative aspects of dyslexia in modern life. West said that while dyslexics often have trouble with tasks like spelling, memorizing and learning foreign languages, they tend to have above average creative and visualization skills. He said that dyslexics as a whole have "this wonderful ability to see the unseen." This ability is becoming more important, according to West, as computers take over more and more little tasks, leaving humans the larger, more abstract jobs at which dyslexics excel. Dyslexia is caused by damage to a section of the left side of the brain before birth, according to West. This damage leads to strong right-brain dominance, which in turn results in increased creativity and improved spatial relations skills. It is also the reason many dyslexics are left-handed. Wharton sophomore James Hoising said he believes his dyslexia is an advantage. "I can visualize a hell of a lot better than any numbers-oriented person can," he said. One problem is that dyslexia is often not diagnosed until after the individual has struggled through grade school and high school. Katy Himelreich, a graduate student in Education who organized the event, was diagnosed as having dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder after two years as an undergraduate at Brown University. When she told people about her disability, she said people often reacted with comments like, "But wait a minute, I always thought you were smart." Of the approximately 25 students and faculty members who attended, most were learning disabled. Many attendees were unaware that there is a support group for them on campus. "I didn't even know [the support group] existed. I would try it," College junior Meredith Blank said. The group -- which is jointly sponsored by the University Counseling Service, University Reading Improvement Study Service and the Office of Affirmative Action -- has drawn only seven or eight people to each of its three meetings to date. "We're never organized enough," Himelreich said. The sense of community that the support group provides is important, Nursing junior Claire McAnany said, because "it makes me feel better knowing I'm not the only one." Great learning disabled thinkers, like Albert Einstein and Leonardo daVinci, also serve as inspiring role models. Hoising, whose learning disability was not diagnosed until his senior year of high school, said, "I guess I really do stand a chance."