As you know the Studying With Dyslexia Blog seeks to provide information and inspiration to supporters of dyslexic learners.
Since I have been editing this blog, I have learnt so much about dyslexia but also so much about how positive it can be to have dyslexia when you can identify how much it can boost your skills set.
One of the fantastic qualities is being able to think or see things in a different way to others which can lead to coming up with great ideas.
On the BBC last night, their popular Dragons' Den programme showcased a product that was developed by handyman, Martin Chard.
Martin described himself as having spent his whole life feeling stupid due to having dyslexia with a 'dose of aspergers', but clearly this man is anything but stupid.
Martin Chard and wife Jenny prior to addressing the Dragons on Dragon's Den.
Martin saw a problem with marking drill holes in his work in places where using a feltip pen became difficult and so came up with a solution to that problem, The Marxman. A small device that fires a blob of chalk dust through deep holes on fixtures and fittings so as to mark a drill hole.
Asking for £50K investment in their business, Martin and his wife Jenny faced the Dragons and despite their lack of knowledge on how business worked, were steadfast in the belief of Martin's product despite some grilling from Peter Jones.
Martin's idea was so good that he secured three offers from the Dragons and decided to accept Deborah Meadon's offer of £50 investment for 30% of the business.
Martin stated that he wanted to have achieved something that he could feel proud about and whilst I am sure that he has probably done that countless times and not given himself the credit, he certainly demonstrated that on Dragon's Den.
On the face of it, this article doesn't seem to have a link with studying with dyslexia, but I have written this because, for me it highlights a reality for a lot of people with dyslexia.
For Martin, he stated that he had felt stupid all his life and yet has demonstrated something so full of common sense and has used his intelligence to invent a product that will literally save DIY enthusiasts and builders time in their endeavours. Something for which they will be incredibly grateful to him for.
But isn't it a shame that he felt stupid for most of his life? Why is it that his potential has all of a sudden shown itself so clearly. Sadly for a lot of people his age with dyslexia this is a reality and often this can lead to mental health issues.
I know how my daughter felt before she got an intervention that turned her life around with dyslexia but we had to pay a lot of money for the assessment to happen in the first place before her college gave her support.
We truly need more investment from the government to provide assessments and
supporting resources for the 1 in 10 children that have dyslexia so that they can be empowered to shine earlier in their lives than Martin Chard.
I wish Martin every success and if you would like to know more about his Marxman product simply click here.