INTRODUCTION.  I AM TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OLD AND I CAN`T TELL TIME. I STRUGGLE WITH DIALING  PHONE NUMBERS, COUNTING MONEY, BALANCING MY CHECKBOOK, TIPPING AT RESTAURANTS, FOLLOWING DIRECTION, UNDERSTANDING  DISTANCES, AND APPLYING BASIC MATH TO MY EVERYDAY LIFE. I ALSO STRUGGLE WITH SPELLING AND GRAMMAR, AND REMEMBERING COMBINATIONS OF MOVEMENTS IN ATHLETICS AND DANCE. I CANNOT READ A NOTE OF MUSIC, AVENUE TOUGH I`VE PARTICIPATED IN CHIR SINCE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.  I HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH DUSCALCULIA, A LEARNING DISABILITY THAT AFFECTS MY CAPACITY TO LEARN SKILLS BASED ON SEQUENTIAL PROCESSING, SUCH AS MATH, SPELLING AND GRAMMAR. LIVING WHIT A LEARNING DISABILITY HAS CREATED MANY CHANGES, AND I HAVE OFTEN FELT FRUSTRATED, CONFUSED, AND ALONE. HOWEVER, MY LEARNING DESABILITY HAS ALSO AFFORDED ME A UNIQUE VIEW OF THE WORLD AND HAS TAUGHT ME SOME IMPORTANT LESSONS. IT HAS FORCED ME TO ALWAYS LOOK FOR,  AND BE OPEN TO ,CREATIVE SOLUTIONS, AND NOT TO TAKE EVEN THE SIMPLEST OF TASKS FOR GRANTED. TROUGH THE MANY INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE HELPED ME N MY LIFE, I HAVE WITNESSED THE FULL MEANING OF COMPASSION AND EMPATHY, AND IT IS BECAUSE OF THEM THAT I NOW MOVE IN CURRENTS OF SELF-DISCOVERY AND POSIBILITY. MY LEARNING DESABILITY HAS TAUGHT ME ALWAYS TO LOOK FOR POTENTIAL AND TO SEE PEOPLE AS BEAUTIFUL INDIVIDUALS WAITING FOR THEIR GIFTS TO BE RECOGNIZED. I HAVE COME TO SEE EVERYONE AS LEARNING DISABLE AND GIFTED. THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN AS A CELEBRATION OF THE SIMULTANEOUS BRILIANCE AND IMPERFECTION THAT COMES WITH BEING HUMAN.

Abeel, Samantha 2003 2003