Author | Speaker | TEDx Presenter
This past April, I spoke at the British Dyslexia Association International Conference and met Sean Douglas the creator of The Codpast. Sean and I discussed how the rapid acceleration of advanced technologies are creating new job opportunities for dyslexics.
The video created by Sean, Bitzy, and the CodPast team is amazing and summaries many aspects of my new book How Dyslexics Will Rule the Future.
Again, a million thanks to Sean, Bitzy and the CodPast team!
Tiffany Sunday, author, speaker, and consultant at Dillon 5 was quoted in Forbes by Denise Brodey discussing how to be more productive at the office. She consults with companies on how to develop programs to encourage creativity and utilizes many of the innovative strengths of individuals who naturally think differently.
Most of what I write publicly is work-related, yet my passion as a writer is creative, crafting stories and imagines from words. Since junior high, I have been writing song lyrics, poems, and short stories. Hundreds of lyrics created, some kept the rest tossed.
After How Dyslexics Will Rule the Future is published, I will take a break from writing business books to focus on completing my first novel and publishing a children book series I’ve created.
Here are two poems I wrote. Salt was written at a restaurant while Brandon met with his tutor. The second poem was written listening to the remix of Blondie’s Heart of Glass by Philip Glass.
Listening to music, driving, and running are my favorite sources of inspiration, I can listen to a song and ideas for novels, lyrics and screenplays easily flow through my thoughts.
Salt
Calories never counted
Focus is food
To escape while thinking nothing, watching the nightly news
Row after row of generic tables filled with people
Sitting in silence while consuming less than nothing paying more than they should
Emptiness fills the space, accepting how life will be
Hope provides energy, doubt drains leaving a void
He cleans without ever knowing the native language
Earns just enough to send home, a place he hasn’t seen years
Memories fade, people grow old
Workers stare at the clock thinking of where they want to be
Dreaming of a better life
Knowing in the end they’ll be sitting in the rows eating food with too many empty calories.
© Copyright 2011-2018 Dillon 5 LLC and Tiffany Sunday. All Rights Reserved.
Unexpected Event
Stillness
No motion
She sits quietly at the train station
Waiting
Trains speed past to their destination
Hot wind from the motion blows her hair
Waiting
Until he returns
She sits alone on the bench
Staring at the track
Ignoring passengers
Never seeing the janitor
She waits
Thinking he’ll return
With each tick of the clock,
Life goes by in a blur of mix memories
She attempts to bury,
To erase,
The pain she carries inside
© Copyright 2011-2018 Dillon 5 LLC and Tiffany Sunday. All Rights Reserved.
Tiffany Sunday is presenting at the 2018 British Dyslexia Association International Conference in Telford, U.K. on Saturday, April 14, 2018.
The title of her presentation is How Dyslexics Will Rule the Future.
Tiffany will discuss the five strengths of dyslexia, how advanced technologies are creating new employment opportunities and career strategies for dyslexic students, professionals, and corporate human resource managers.
Her talk is based on Tiffany’s upcoming new book How Dyslexics Will Rule the Future due out in Summer of 2018.
Tiffany frequently speaks at national conferences and conducts corporate workshops.
In case you are wondering, this is not a blog post listing the top ten business books to read for the holidays. Nope, this post is different. It’s about the importance of stories and reading.
As an author, I am always asking people what books they like to read. With two new books slated for publication in 2018, I need to know my market.
I can peg a person’s response to their facial expression. It’s that frustrated look, “Why would I read a book now, I’m out of school.” Or “Oh, she’s going to recommend another boring business book. Ugh.” Insert eye rolling emoji.
The majority of the responses all include, “I don’t have time to read because…” We spend hundreds of hours each week reading blog posts, text messages, FB posts etc. Ironically, we read blog posts about which books successful people are reading.
The book list is unimportant.
What matters most is that these leaders schedule time to read.
The thought leaders, we admire, read a wide range of books including novels, history, biographies and business leadership. All books contain stories even non-fiction which highlights case studies. We remember stories, we relate to stories, and use stories to help us navigate our jobs, personal relationships, challenges, and events in our lives.
Without these stories, we have a limited mental library to retrieve examples for guidance. Since the beginning of mankind, we’ve used stories to build communities, pass down information, and form bonds needed for survival.
Today is no different. We need stories; we need this foundation. Purchasing a book for yourself and everyone on your holiday list is important.
Reading is the gateway to society. If a child does not read by the age of seven, they are at risk of missing the gateway. Once the opportunity passes, it is extremely difficult to gain access.
The ability read (insert assistive technology if needed to help with reading) is the second most important skill humans’ must possess. The ability to communicate is first.
As you build your holiday shopping list, take the time to visit your local bookstore or Amazon. Think about the stories you crave to read. What problem are you mentally seeking to solve? Go to the library; walk through the quiet aisles glancing at the titles. What book catches your eye?
Better yet, go to the children’s section look at the stories. Last month, I discovered while walking through Barnes and Noble – What Do You Do With An Idea by Kobi Yamada. I absolutely love the book and believe everyone should read it.
Books, regardless how you read them are important, they provide us with a rich depth of stories that we use daily to solve problems. Even non-fiction has a place because we gain knowledge and a different perspective.
Included in this post are images of the current books I am reading. I will be stopping by Half Price Books and Barnes & Noble to purchase gifts.
Remember – reading by the fireplace is a great way to unplug and enjoy the holidays!
We cannot see how the unique wiring impacts each individual nor can we see the brilliance that lies beneath the surface of misspelled words, word retrieval misfires, and slow reading times.
The invisibility creates a false sense of reality. On the surface, a student’s learning abilities may appear to be sufficient, when in fact the student is struggling in every class. The student becomes increasing disengaged as they do not understand the material given to them nor can they complete their class assignments.
Being behind your peers, unable to read, write or spell, I believe is one of the most stressful feelings you can have as a student. We receive questions and inquires on why our work is not completed. We don’t know why; therefore, we are unable to provide an answer which only creates more frustration.
I remember, as if it was yesterday, being in second grade overwhelmed and frustrated. I was two grade levels behind my peers and could barely spell the simplest of words. My handwriting was all over the page which compounded the problem. Even to this day, I can recall the emotions I felt and how I knew at a gut level, something was wrong.
In third grade, my teacher was a graduate student obtaining her dyslexia/reading specialist certificate. She recommended that I be tested for dyslexia. Finally, a name was given to my frustrations. I was relieved to know it was not my fault.
Teachers and educators can profoundly change their students’ lives in many ways. Every time, I write and speak on the topic of dyslexia, I mention to two teachers who forever changed my life – Mrs. King and Dr. Wakefield. They understood the importance of testing students for dyslexia.
For millions of students and adults who are still undiagnosed, awareness is the difference between receiving help or not. The difference between gaining the essential intervention that can help them achieve their full potential or a lifetime of frustration without ever knowing why.
Only when we have awareness can we solve a problem or assist a student who needs intervention and accommodations. Without awareness and testing, students will continue to encounter learning challenges.
Dyslexia is unique in that it is invisible, brilliant, and frustrating all at the same time. Digital tools designed for individuals with dyslexia help reduce many of the language processing frustrations we encounter every day. I think about how much spell check has changed my life and provided an independence from constantly asking peers how to spell words.
Today, we have handheld devices that can read to us, check the dictionary meaning and scan notes. We have access to multiple software programs that perform a range of tasks from checking for dyslexia mistakes to the audio dictation of reports, emails, and digital messages. Each day new software and technologies are launched designed to help us.
We must have awareness first, testing second for progress to occur.
Only then, can these amazing technologies be used to their full potential and reduce the learning challenges encountered by dyslexics. October is Dyslexia Awareness Month in the United States. Each and every day I work to increase the awareness, ensure all students are tested and receive the accommodations they need to reach their full potential.
This blog post also appeared on Scanning Pens.com website.