Testimonials
It’s always good to know you’ve had an impact
We don’t expect the many and varied dyslexic people we come into contact with to write to us very often and we’re always surprised and delighted when they do. Generally we hear from the people we work with in person or anecdotally through their teachers or parents. However some people put pen to paper, in various ways, and we reproduce a selection of things we’ve had in writing. Not necessarily all ‘testimonials’ – poems, prose and other things that are inspiring are equally well received.
Rosie Brogden
"HADC made me realise that I am not stupid, my brain just works differently to other people's."
"Dyslexia is a gift, not a disease and once recognised it gave me the determination to not give up through all the set backs I faced. Success is much more rewarding once you know how to cope with failure."
"This is what makes you different from others. Constantly picking yourself up and brushing yourself off - then moving forward."
"For me; it's a gift of determination."
Andrew Kaye
"When I first found out about the Helen Arkell Centre 14 years ago, my career was a bit of a mess to put it bluntly."
"But Knowledge is Power! The training I received helped me get things on track. I learned about my Dyslexia and came to understand problems I had struggled with for years, and to be honest still struggle with. Dyslexia is more than just bad spelling and having trouble reading, I also struggled with organisation and time keeping."
"I had originally been diagnosed as Dyslexic towards the end of my time at University, but was told that because my reading ability was at the 50th percentile for the Canadian population, there was nothing I could do to help things."
"How wrong they were. Through the HADC, I learned about voice dictation and text to speech technology, and although primitive compared to what is available today, they revolutionised my life. I also gained the confidence to “do the job” my way, not always trying to fit into other peoples moulds."
"Audio books have also changed my life, they are not cheating as people had lead me to believe. Although I still have arguments with English teachers who believe it is better for a child to struggle through a Victorian novel on paper rather than enjoy the story and be able to discuss and understand it!"
"There is still work to be done in understanding Dyslexia and being understood as a dyslexic, which is why I now devote my time helping and supporting the HADC!"
Ben Tomson and Helen Arkell
"I arrived in 1973 aged ten at Edgeborough, a small school near Frensham. I could hardly read and my writing was so bad that I was the only person who could read it."
"I was very lucky that Helen had recently started teaching at the School which was near her home. I remember the large egg boxes she would arrive with that contained all the letters and combinations of letters to make words. I remember tracing and writing the shapes of letters endlessly between lines. I remember the excitement of using a cassette recorder to listen to my own voice – but most of all I remember her quiet patience and determination to break through and the shared enthusiasm when success came."
"These are characteristics that she has used to build her position for getting children to read and write into the wonderful achievement that is the Helen Arkell centre of today."
"Since leaving school I have had a number of successful careers from being an international athlete to running a bank to my present role as Chairman on a number of Boards, including the National Galleries of Scotland."
"I am sure that had it not been for the determination of a number of people, including Helen, to help me over my early problems none of it would be possible. A huge thank you Helen – you are a complete star."
The Word Eater – a poem by Phoebe Campbell
He sits at the tip of your tongue,
licking his lips and waiting,
anticipating, the next big word,
the punch line, the …
And you’re left,
with a thing-a-ma-jig or a
watch-a-ma-call-it?
While he claws at and devours,
That Word.
The one you needed.
Its hours before you finally find it.
After a day of searching it appears
when you no longer want it,
its redundancy rings -
“Malevolent, malevolent!”
Belly full, he laughs, satisfied.