Dyslexia is not a disability – it’s a gift.

Dyslexia is not a disability – it’s a gift. It means that I, and many other dyslexic thinkers can portray the world through images because we think in images. I can build worlds, freeze the frame, walk around and touch. I can read people’s faces, drawings, buildings, landscapes and all things in the visual world more quickly than many of my non-dyslexic friends. I paint with words; they are my colours.
~ Sally Gardner (Davis Dyslexia Association International)

Growing up, I had no idea why I had such a hard time reading and comprehending what I read. In my day, elementary school classes would divide the classes readers into three or four groups in the early grades: good, so-so, and poor. I always wanted to be in a good reader’s group but always found myself in the poor group with a good reader (a classmate) as our tutor. I never knew why I was having such a horrible time reading things I wanted to read.
It was not until I joined the USAF found that I was dyslexic. Reading is still a struggle, but I, too, believe as Sally Gardner believes. Those of us who have dyslexia have the opportunity to see the world differently. Personally, I think that dyslexia contributed to my ability to express myself through art and other endeavors that required creativity while solving problems.
I included Sally Gardner’s poem, Disobeys Me, with my suite of images in the gallery named Words that I Cannot Spell, which I believe strikes a cord that many with dyslexia identify.
I want to thank Hunt and Gather Antiques for allowing me to photograph the incredible collection of letters in their backlot.

Author: Bill Hendricks -- Shadowmason

I’m a Minneapolis-based artist working in watercolor, gouache, oil, drawing, and mixed media. After teaching art and design for many years, I returned to making art fully. These days, I spend my time drawing, painting, experimenting, and paying attention to what shows up. I often work small. My work moves between observation, memory, and imagination. Some pieces lean surreal. Some stay close to what is seen. What interests me is what begins to emerge when I stay with the work long enough. On my blog, you’ll find both my artwork and my reflections. I’ve come to see they are connected. What I learn in the studio often changes how I see my life, my relationships, and my community. In that way, art has become more than making objects — it has become a way of understanding and being in the world. View all posts by Bill Hendricks -- Shadowmason