During my twenties, I found it funny when a relative or friend would silence me or ask me to get to the point. I couldn’t believe I went off topic or raised my voice again. Though, the more it happened, the more it became disheartening to hear them constantly rebuke me since speech and occupational therapists in my childhood helped me comprehend my symptoms but they did not cure my learning disability. Read More
Judy Heumann, a disability civil rights activist, shared this important lesson in her memoir Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist: “telling our stories helps strengthen our ability to continue to fight injustice. Sharing the stories about how we want our world to be – and then turning these dreams and visions into reality – is what we must all commit to doing.” Read More
My little one was diagnosed a few years ago. How unfair? I thought since she was born DWM too. Now mental challenges along with physical challenges. Read More
Over the years I have overheard many times that it was such a blessing to have you all as our role models. We quickly learned how we shared so many of the same values and each understood the importance of seeing your children’s strengths no matter how difficult this may seem. Now in adulthood, I am so appreciative of your support, as through my experiences with The NVLD Project I have learned this is relatively uncommon. Sadly, many families are afraid to speak up and be advocates. Thankfully you did and my parents were never worried about asking you questions or seeking your guidance. Read More
While I do think it’s important for NVLD students to be treated the same, I also believe their effort needs to be honored and valued especially when grades are involved. For example, on subjective assignments, say the teacher’s initial grade is D+ but the student always works incredibly hard then the student should earn a C-. This is especially true when the student is close to passing. This being said, I believe this type of treatment must be kept at a reasonable level and not necessarily applied every time as it can come across as treating others differently. Read More
Many people with nonverbal learning have difficulty managing their tone of voice. It’s a common characteristic of NVLD that often goes unacknowledged.
Yeah, we are those slightly off people in situations that often require a quiet environment—a too loud whisper in a library? Asking for help for seating at a funeral? That’s me, and probably a few others with NVLD as well. Read More
“They tried to bury me but they did know that I am a seed?” is the expression that encompasses my life so perfectly in one quote. I am a special education teacher working with fourth grade students with learning disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders but the irony is that, I too, have spent my life in the neurodivergent universe. Read More
Growing up with an NVLD has brought disappointments, however the ones that bothered me the most, while they seem minor, are the times I was treated differently. What I mean by this is that I was not being treated like my peers in and outside the classroom. This stigmatized me even more. I have always been a firm believer that if you are going to have an “inclusive” classroom or athletic team you must treat everyone the same and keep the expectations the same for everyone to feel included. Read More
Over the years, I have continued to learn more about my challenges and I would like to thank you for understanding me and seeing me as a person, not just having NVLD. In my experience, you truly were the adult who understood the complex challenges of NVLD the best and each session I knew I was going to gain new skills.Yes there was often tension, though with the heart to heart conversations and your empathy, I was able to go cool off and get back on track. Read More
As a fellow NVLDer, being financially free from my debt was one of my most proudest achievements in my life.
2020 was a challenging year for everyone, however it was a blessing in disguise for me. I was able to follow a 7 steps financial guide from a successful entrepreneur by the name of Dave Ramsey which sparked my interest in financial literacy. He wrote simple steps that anyone can do: Read More