An Open Letter to the One With a Learning Disability

To whom it may concern:

You are not alone. Together, we make up a part of the population of America; yet, there is rarely ever a reason as to why we have this thing called a disability. I’ve walked the halls, most of the time with my head hanging below my shoulders, avoiding eye contact. To some, this meant I was shy; to others, I was possibly walking into school high as a kite. That wasn’t the case, neither one was true.

It was a scary life, being bullied for who I am, but eventually I received the help I desperately wanted in order to just be “normal”. Placing trust into teachers, despite my past attempts of requesting help from others, was hard. Normalcy was what I wanted to achieve, but a reality check made me realize I was normal. I was what most deemed as needing more help, but I was normal.

My thoughts focused on this topic, and I realized what was happening. I was receiving help, even when I was oblivious. Teachers in the past used to ridicule, taunt, and lower my standards for a proper education, even if it meant extra time on assignments, projects, and tests. To place this into words others would understand: teachers and others would look at me and turn the other cheek. They would look at me as if I were foreign. Were they not aware of what I had? Of course, not all 12 or 14 year olds can grasp what a disability truly is unless they have experienced it firsthand.

My ideal place of comfort, as we all have one, is a book and a journal to jot my thoughts into. Sure, that was a weird thing at the time, but I bonded with others who chose to accept me, even if I was different. In high school, I actually began to have friends, because a lot of them matured and saw past the biggest difference of all: my learning disability. So to those who are reading, why would I be writing this?

I have a learning disability, and those with one will sometimes go unnoticed. Perhaps we, the ones with learning disabilities, are part of the population that don’t get noticed all that often; we are swept under the rug like the art and science programs that deserve to be funded. There are many reasons as to why I have written this letter. To the one reading this letter: look at those around you, whether friend or family or a stranger on the street, don’t point and stare, but ask who they are and what their hobbies are. There is much more behind the face of a person who has a disability.

Sincerely,

A person with a learning disability.