[nabs-l] perceptual awareness

Tue Oct 13 17:46:30 UTC 2009

Ashley dyslexia is not a visual disorder, though that is a common thought, 
because it is usually associated with reading and righting only.  This is 
where it is most common I think but I read brail and have the same problem 
as sighted people with reading and righting so it is not visual.  I read 
very slowly because I have to decode everything in my head as I am reading 
it.  Letters either switch places with in the word, or flip upside down and 
because it's brail becomes a different letter, so that is annoying.  But I 
also notice it when I type or dial phone numbers.  It is not always, as I am 
a pretty fast typist, and I know the numbers on a phone but once in a while 
my brain malfunctions or something and I hit the wrong button or key.  It is 
different then a typo, as it isn't necessarily an accident, for example, 
sometimes even though I know the keyboard well I will hit F instead of J or 
T instead of V or something like that.  It is very frustrating but I have 
learned to deal with it and have learned little tricks as to how not to make 
as many mistakes or catch them more quickly so other people don't notice as 
much. I still hate reading out loud because I sound like I don't know how to 
read and that is not true, it is just that I don't always have the pattern 
right and have to decode.
    Because I don't know what causes my other perceptual problem I am only 
guessing that it may be dyslexia but like I said I don't know.  As I said 
before it is not constant it is random and the time of temporary confusion 
last some times for just a second or sometimes for a few minutes it just 
depends on the, well I don't know what it depends on.  I don't know what 
causes it or if what factors if any make it worse.  You can get tested for 
dyslexia but it is very hard to find a psychologist who uses non visual 
tests.  If your truly interested in finding out if you are or not they are 
out their you just have to search a little harder.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ashley" <cumbiambera2005 at gmail.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 6:29 AM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] perceptual awareness


> Hi,
> Well, it feels good to know I'm not as weird as I thought--I also
> experience something similar to this, though not exactly the same. I
> tend to get disoriented quite a bit, even in places that I seem to be
> familiar with. Naturally, it happens more often in places that I am
> unfamiliar with, however, I have known it to happen in small areas
> that I should have easily been able to find my way around. I also used
> to think that this meant i was crazy or something, but I'm kind of
> starting to realize that it may be a lack of concentration--or at
> least that's what I thought at one point. Then, I started to find that
> even during an O and M lesson where I'm concentrating, I still get
> lost, and think i'm somewhere, when I actually end up somewhere
> totally different from where I thought I was. I know this isn't the
> exact same thing as what you're saying, but I am also curious as to
> how this happens, as it happens to me quite often. I was told once
> that this type of disorientation is associated to the cause of my
> blindness, which may be a possibility, though I don't even believe
> that I have whatever this person said I do. Can't think of the name of
> it at this point--lebers or something or other, forgive me if I
> misspelled that.
> Also, as I'm typing this, something else occurred to me. My family is
> dislecsic, but I was told that only a sighted person could be.
> However, I've even noticed that at times I have done things like
> writing things backwards etc, so wondering about that as well.
> My problem is, I do know how to recognize patterns, but I'm wondering
> if my problem may be something else.
> So there were my thoughts on the matter.
>
>
> On 10/13/09, Adrianne Dempsey <adrianne.dempsey at gmail.com> wrote:
>> I am wondering if any one has experienced this or something like it and 
>> if
>> you have any ideas as to what causes it or how to fix the problem.  At 
>> the
>> risk of sounding silly, I sometimes have some sort of perceptual problem.
>> It may be because of blindness, but I believe it has something to do with 
>> my
>> dyslexia.  I am not really sure what to call it, but it is similar to
>> vertigo, though I am positive it is not the right word.  I sort of lose 
>> my
>> sense of direction.  It is especially terrifying when I am in a place I
>> already don't know, but it even happens when I am in a familiar area. 
>> When
>> it happens in a familiar place I can adjust after a moment or to but it 
>> is
>> still frustrating.  Basically what happens is everything around me is
>> different from the way it was a second ago.  I am fully aware that the 
>> room
>> didn't actually change, but my brain no longer recognizes the pattern.  I
>> mean I could be in my kitchen, and I know my kitchen-I cook in and clean 
>> it
>> every day with no problems except those random moments when all of a 
>> sudden
>> I suddenly don't know which way I am facing or what the proximity of 
>> matter
>> around me is.  When this happens I feel like a crazy person because I 
>> know
>> my house, and it doesn't happen all the time and it never lasts long, but 
>> I
>> feel so lost when it does.  I know it has nothing to do with orientation
>> because it has nothing to do with  learning an area.  I use to think it 
>> did
>> as it happens allot more when I am in a big open area but it happens in
>> places I am very familiar with as well.  I started thinking it might be a
>> blindness thing, but I don't know many other people it happens to if any. 
>> I
>> was diagnosed with dyslexia, and that is your brains inability to 
>> recognize
>> patterns.  It shows up mostly in reading and righting, and it defanatly 
>> does
>> that for me, but I am wondering if it extends farther to spatial and
>> directional perceptions.  If anyone has any thoughts on this  please let 
>> me
>> know as I am curious as to  it's relationship to dyslexia or if it is
>> something else entirely and any thoughts on how to remedy it.
>>
>> Thanks so much.
>>
>>
>> Andi
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>
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