I learned to read sooner than everyone who knew me thought , and I loved to do so from an early age, much more than watching TV.
When I was growing up, I preferred to buy a magazine or a book instead of buying candy. some people at school would call me "boring" , but I didn't pay them any attention. I was lucky in that I could learn to read. I met people with intellectual disabilities who could not .
The closest example is my mum's friend's daughter who has hemiplegia cerebral palsy, with intellectual disability . She likes to paint and draw and was taught life skills at special school as well as doing activities such as horse riding and swimming. My family and her family spent lots of time together , since we lived in the same town in England and also spent holidays together.
My family I have always said that it is a very good thing that I can read , and the doctors who have seen me, especially my neurologist, have commented on the great skill I have of being able to read in English and Spanish.
I'm also grateful for the opportunity to learn languages , because there are people with disabilities who can't.
What do I like to read?
Well, what I like the most is what many people say that when you read a book , it is like travelling to other worlds, and this makes me forget every day problems and concerns - at least for a while.
In terms of taste,
I like to read romance, science-fiction , fantasy and real life stories.
In this, I guess my taste for movies and books is very similar. I also like books that are produced again as films.
I had to fight against many prejudices to learn to read, because the general consensus was that I would not be able to.
I learnt to read, and I have many friends who like to read and also have cerebral palsy.
Some of them read very fast, and some recommend books to me that they have read, and I recommend books to them. I don't read very quickly, but speed is not everything. I believe that what matters most is what you read, and what you learn from what you read.
It is good that today, books are available in a variety of formats, from hardbacks to audio books . E- Books are better for me, because I can download them to my iPad.
Before having an iPad , I had to read paperback books, but with a lot of difficulty . That is far from what people imagine, as they cannot understand or imagine the scope or severity of my visual difficulties , because when they see me with a book, they think that I can read with the same ease as everyone else.
In my case, it's not that I don't understand the words, I just can't see them well on the page of a book.
If I have to read a paperback, I have to look at the size of the letter and the contrast because the brightness of the paper makes me have more trouble reading , and the effort of reading anything, even if it is an e-book, gives me a headache. Often, I'll re-read the same text because my eyes can't focus well on the page because of nystagmus movements (involuntary eye movements caused by cerebral palsy ).
I like quotes a lot, especially those which have a message. Here are some, and anecdotes (examples) from my life that demonstrate why I feel I identify with them.
Often in your life, you will find that a book is a better best friend than a man. Luigi Settembrini.
This quote reminds me of years ago when I didn't have much confidence in myself, and had difficulty making friends. Instead of thinking about that, or my problems, I read a book.
Delete many times if you want to write things worthy to be read. Horacio.
I think that this will encourage me when I write my own books, I have begun one :)
I believe that television is so educational... whenever someone turns the TV on, I go out the room and settle in another to read a book. Groucho Marx
I have almost always read a book instead of watching TV. That is not to say that I do not like to watch TV, but I believe you learn more reading a book, than watching television. In my case I relax more reading.
The more you read, the less you are imitated. Jules Renard
This is true. I would add 'and you're deceived less'.
I have obtained good results in life in some circumstances because I informed myself well through reading something, whether on the internet or in a book, before doing things . I tried to find my own way in life instead of following others. I like to be unique.
I listened to my friends, but at the end of the day , did what I thought should be done.
Some people don't like reading a book more than once, because they feel that once is enough to help them remember the story.
However, I read a book as many times as I want if I like it a lot, but always leave enough time between reads so I can't remember every detail of the book .
I don't like to throw my old books away . To me, throwng a book or deleting an e-book is almost like losing a great friend.
It is a good book that opens with anticipation and closes with benefit Louisa May Alcott.
This is a good quote from the author of some of my favorite classics :
Little Women , a modernCinderella or Jo's Boys, among others.
Make books your dinner, tea and explore their delights. Make your bed
and have restful and quiet nights
unknown author
This quote is true : I always sleep better if I read for a few hours before bedtime
Reading is like food; the advantage is not in the proportion of what you eat, but what is digested. Jaime Luciano Balmes.
This is an interesting way of thinking. Every time I read a book, I feel as if I'm 'feeding' off words and knowledge. I believe that reading really enriches a person's life.
Reading is something that appeals to some people but not others, depending on many factors:
If the person is illiterate or not, and their education, in addition to economic opportunities (if they can buy books), and personal preferences of what a person likes to do in their spare time.
In the world, the literacy rate (the percentage of a country's population who know how to read and write) is the highest in Europe, and the US, Oceania (Australia and New Zealand), Argentina (97 % ), followed by South America, China Indonesia , Bosnia, Serbia and Mexico (90-97 % ), while the lowest rates are found in central Africa (Guinea, Mali).
I think that the more you read, the less you are decieved. An example of this in my personal experience, was 2 years ago which was the last time that I saw the wheelchair technician because I was changing my wheelchair seating system. With him was a technician who specialised in a particular brand of wheelchairs. This technician was telling me about his products, and told me things that were true and others that I knew were not. And how did I know?
I knew because I had read information in advance via the company's web site, as I was researching all the wheelchair seating brands and types available.
I expressed my opinion and challenged his ideas.
Both he and the technician that I know from my nearest mobility shop were surprised and impressed how much I knew. However, I want to say that I didn't buy the representative's product.
He was French, and the the company's European Union representative.
I have nothing against anyone from other countries, but he asked me if I wanted to speak in English. I told him that, I didn't , and that it was better we spoke in Spanish because Alfredo and the technician I know do not speak enough English for us all to have understood or benefitted from the conversation .
I believe, and I have always believed in being as open and honest as possible. Perhaps he wanted to practice his English, I don't know, and I didn't ask him, but, as Alfredo and the technician do not speak much English, I felt that it would be rude and un - professional if the representative and I were going to speak a language that not everyone can speak well or understand.
What actually happened, was that I spoke Spanish better than the representative. I also understand that perhaps he wanted to be friendly and polite.
Anyway, back to my reading-related quotes.
The book is strength , it is value , it is power, it is food; Source of thought and love in spring. Rubén Darío.
This quotation , for me , perfectly shows what a book is.
A book that cannot be read twice does not deserve any reading Father José Luis Martín Descalzo
Not everyone can read a book more than once, because they feel that once is enough to be able to remember the story. However, I can read a book as many times as I want if I like it enough, but only if I leave enough time so that I don't remember the book word-for-word, or every detail of the book.
I don't like to throw my old books away. For me, throwing a book away or deleting an e-book is almost like losing a great friend .
Reading is defined in the following way:
Reading is the process of understanding any information and / or ideas stored and transmitted through some kind of code, usually a language that be visual or tactile (for example, Braille). Other types of reading may not be based on language , such pictograms.
Reading is not a neutral activity: it puts a series of complex relationships between the text and the reader into play . When the book is closed, what has the reader become? a simple glutton capable of digesting lyrics? A woodcutter whose only task is to clear the literary landscape?
Texier, François, 2006.1
Weaver states
the ability that a person has to learn to read depends on their ability to do the following:
Know how to pronounce written words.
Learn to identify the words and the meaning of each of them.
Know extract and understand the meaning of a text.
How does all this affect someone who has some kind of disability?
Well, the ability of each person with a disability to learn how to read will depend on their cognitive ability , although the Infantile Cerebral Palsy should not be an affectation on a cognitive level, as traditionally it has been believed, which has made way for and promoted psychological interventions.
People who are unable to control their movements, well or cannot speak, are often assumed to have an intellectual disability. Although some people with Cerebral Palsy have learning problems, this is not always so, they may even have a higher than normal IQ. Approximately one-third of children have a slight intellectual disability, a third have moderate or severe disability and the other remaining third is of normal intellect.
If there are visual problems related to the infantile cerebral palsy , this will create difficulty reading. In my case it does, because I can't see or read different types of text. It also depends on the font in which something is written, and if there is good contrast (definition ) between the color of the writing and the colour of the page.
In my case, the involuntary movements of my eyes and strabismus (squint) severely affect my ability to focus my eyes, and I have hemianopsia that cause blindness .
Strabismus, or squint, is a visual problem more common in people with cerebral palsy. Some (like me) wear glasses, while others are operated on. My visual disabilities are inoperable.
Another option for the blind and people who need it because of blindness due to another disability is braille.
known also as cecografia. It was designed by Frenchman Louis Braille in the middle of the 19th century, who was left blind due to an accident during his childhood as he played in his father's Studio. When he was 13 years old, the director of the school for the blind and deaf from Paris--where he studied Braille - asked him to try touch literacy invented by a member of the military called Charles Barbier to transmit orders to outposts without changing position during the night. Louis Braille discovered after a time that the system was valid and reinvented it using a system of eight points. Within a few years he simplified the universally known system to 6 points.
Braille is also interesting because it is a binary numbering system that preceded the appearance of the computer.
What parts of the brain are responsible for giving us the ability to read?
The cerebral cortex makes humans smarter than animals because it is the part that allows us to reason. This part of the brain will allow us to understand what we read.
The part of the brain called the motor area is important here. It runs through the two halves of the brain as if it were a ear -to -ear headset.
The motor area controls your voluntary muscles - muscles of your body moving when you want to do so. Damage here will affect the ability of people with disabilities to move their muscles, and therefore pick up books, turn pages, or control eye muscles . I have wood and plastic stands or bookholders for my books, and I have invented gestures on my ipad to help me turn pages.
People with a specific learning disability will find it difficult to learn to read.
A specific learning disability is a general term that describes specific learning problems. A specific learning disability can cause a person to have difficulty learning and using certain skills. The skills that are affected most frequently are: reading, spelling, listening, speaking, reasoning, and mathematics.
specific "learning disabilities",( or LD) vary between people. A person with a specific learning disability can have a different kind of learning problem from another person. In a hypothetical example, above, Sara has problems with reading and spelling. Another person might have problems with mathematical understanding. Yet another person might have problems in each of these areas, as well as in understanding what people say.
I have problems with mathematical understanding. At school and Secondary (high) school , I got help from another person in all my classes, Luckily, I've never had too many difficulties where spelling and reading are concerned, except the difficulties I have already described in this blog post. The majority of my difficulties in writing are physical ones caused by my disabilities rather than caused by the fact that I do not know to write.
When I was 17 years old, an occupational therapist came to my school. She I had been assessing me since I was 5 years old, and had affection and appreciation for me.
I have always been the curiosity to know answers to questions I had about my disabilities. I wanted to know why it hurts my hand to pick up a pencil or pen and why my hands, fingers and wrists seize up when I try to move or use them. She explained to me that my muscles work differently and work harder to try to move than in someone without a disability like mine.
She recommended the continued use of a computer dictation program (what I have used so far in life).
I think that in reading so much, I improved a lot in spelling, because I could remember the words from the books I read and if I couldn't write a word or understand the meaning well, I asked my class assistant or one of my teachers.
They read me text that I could not see, and also what was written on the board.
Researchers believe that specific learning disabilities are caused by differences in the functioning of the brain and the way in which it processes information. Children with learning problems are not "stupid" or "lazy." In fact, they usually have an average or above-average level of intelligence.
What happens is that their brains process the information in a different way.
The definition of "a specific learning disability" comes from the individuals with Disabilities Education Act ("Individuals with Disabilities Education Act," or IDEA).
IDEA is the Federal law that sets out how schools provide special education services and related services to children with disabilities. This special aid that Sara receives is an example of special education.
Definition of "Disability specific of learning" under IDEA:
the education of individuals with disabilities (IDEA) Act defines a specific learning disability as..
".. .a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or use of oral or written language, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and development aphasia."
However, specific learning disability does not include "learning problems that are primarily the result of Visual, hearing or motor, intellectual disability , emotional disorder or an environmental , economic or cultural disadvantage".
[34 Code of Federal Regulations §300.8 (c) (10)]
There is no "cure" for specific learning disabilities. They are lifelong.
However, children with specific learning disabilities can make progress and ways to overcome , or cope better with , the disability can be taught to them.
With adequate support, children with specific learning disabilities can, and do , learn successfully.
I've not overcome mine, but yes, I have passed all my exams (even the maths one! ) , even with a very low grade ), because I received extra help from teachers and family
friends who understood my difficulty in this area beforehand.
Now that I've talked about reading, learning difficulties and other issues, I want to have a say in what society has done to facilitate the understanding of language and reading for people with disabilities and if enough has been done.
Books come in various formats, paperbacks and hardbacks and , more recently , the electronic book (ebook) and audio book, as well as books in braille.
In England, there are many organizations for people with disabilities with difficulties in reading or understanding written texts.
Some publications, such as The disability rights Handbook , is published in book format or on CD-ROM. Even the banks have a phone number to call if you need printed information in another format (eg large print, CD or braille). The downside of this service is that you have to call after receiving information in printed format, you do not receive it automatically.
What has helped me a lot is my ipad, I received for my 30th birthday in 2011. I like their accessibility features (gestures, VoiceOver: reads text, menus etc in a loud voice) has text reader screen, zoom, large text and investment of colors and text (changes the contrast).
In my opinion, large-print books are good for the font size, but weigh too much. Standard size books have great variation in their text size and contrast, brightness level on paper that influence how easy they are to read.
They are also uncomfortable to for me to hold .
The best format I've found so far are electronic books, because they are already on the ipad or e-reader once you download them, and avoid having to store books on a shelf.
For those of you who've never used one, at the top of the page, there is an option to change the background color and font size to the contrast you need , and you can program the gesture you use to 'turn ' the page.
As far as reading and accesibility options for websites go, those which are specifically for people with disabilities, such as Scope, the British organization of cerebral palsy, Shine (spina bifida and hydrocephalus) and RNIB, that of the blind and visually impaired people) offer the option to enlarge text or change the contrast of the web site.
Some from other countries do too, but don't have as many accessibility options yet.
ASPACE, FAEBHI (FEBHI is the Spanish Federation of associations of Spina Bifida and hydrocephalus) and FAMMA-Cocemfe Madrid Federation of associations of people with physical and organic disabilities, still do not, but the organisation for the blind (ONCE) does offer this option.
I have given these examples because they are web sites that I have used.
I still don't have much
experience of using audio books, but according to what my grandfather told me when he was alive, and my friends say about them , an audio book format is helpful and fun to use.
In conclusion to this blog post, I would say that with all the advances in efforts to make reading easier for people with any type of disability, more people can enjoy reading, however they are able, and it is becoming increasingly more accessible. However, much more should be done to improve access to books and written text, whether in books, or any other format for the disabled.
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