The other day I was talking to someone when they said, “My teacher told my dad that I had dyslexia when I was in school and he never told me until I was older. I’m glad he didn’t because it’s all in your head anyways.”

When he said this, it struck a nerve somewhere inside of me. No, I don’t have a learning disability, but I know people who do and it’s not just something that they are making up. No one with a learning disability asked for it nor do they enjoy having it; ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, and others are not fun to have. Sure, there are instances where a someone with a learning disability may say “Oh I can’t because I have ___,” and use it as an excuse not to do something, but don’t let those people speak for others.

Instead of using their disabilities as an excuse, many people must learn to cope with them and learn to function with them. They must work twice as hard as others without a disability and most of the time, they produce better grades than others. In certain instances, some people have to take medication in order to obtain information properly. Without taking said medication, their progress may be at a standstill.

Being diagnosed with a learning disability may sometimes help certain people, especially kids. When a kid isn’t at the same level as their classmates, they don’t understand why and ultimately feel stupid. By diagnosing them early, the kids and parents can get on the right track for them and cope with it head on and early.

Although I understand where the person was coming from and that he meant no harm toward others, I still didn’t agree with it. Everyone experiences thing differently than one another, so just because you don’t believe that learning disabilities are real, don’t hate on others who have them. You never know what someone is going through and how their life is.