Rosalin Kyere-Nartey, Lois Letchford & Lisa McCarty "When Learning is Trauma."

Okay.

Yeah.

Thank you. Is it ready to go? You're starting.

You're on.

Ah, perfect. Welcome, welcome to our seminar series, When Learning Is Trauma. And I acknowledge my son for all the work and support He does in the background. I am Lois Letchford, author of the book Reversed: A Memoir and literacy problem solver, and he's changed everything around and I can't do everything. The background is wrong. Lisa, over to you.

And I'm Lisa McCarty. I'm a wife and a mother of dyslexic learners. I'm also an RN. Hello everyone.

And our guest for today Our first speaker, Stephen Dykstra, said our children pay the highest price for our mistakes, and Rosalind is a product of our mistakes. She learned to read at 17. However, she has also overcome. So welcome, Rosalind.

Thank you.

Can you tell us how to— tell us about your experience in school?

Okay, thank you so much, and thank you to your viewers. And my name is Rosaline Abigail Trenate, and I'm joining you from Accra, Ghana. It's very late here, it's 8 PM here, and so I'm excited for this conversation. For me, when it comes to learning difficulties, I realized my difficulties approximately around the age of 8, thereabouts, when it was one Christmas time and my cousins came visiting my grandmother where I used to stay with her. And they came with some very beautiful storybooks and they were reading and some of them I was older than them. So I was really admiring how they were reading. However, also it saddened my heart that I knew that I can— I couldn't even read the books that they were holding. And so one of my cousins, uh, who just didn't know what was wrong with me, and I actually didn't know something was wrong with me, by the way, because I was pretty young. just called me and said, hey, Rosalyn, can you read this book, the page of this book? And I took it and I was just staring at this page of the book and I couldn't say a word. And they were like, read, read. And I was, I, I was just staring and tears started dropping down my eye. And that was the moment that it really hit me. And I was like, Why? Why can these cousins of mine be able to read and write, but I cannot read? And so gradually, the Christmas came to an end, and they left to the city. And that was when I told my grandmother that you know what? You need to take me to the city. I felt like maybe because I wasn't in the capital city of Ghana. That is the reason why I wasn't able to read and write. And my grandmother was like, nope, you are staying here. So I became very stubborn, and I would go to town and be fighting, be beating little children up, like just causing trouble for my grandmother to just be fed up and call my parents to come for me. And so it continued very well. And one time, the trouble I went through was very, very Like beyond her. And so she immediately called my dad and said, you should come for your daughter, else she'll kill me. And that was when my dad came, picked me up, and brought me to an aunt of mine in a city which was a little better than where I was before. I wish I had stayed with my mom to be— my grandmother, to be honest with you. Coming to this place, we were living in a compound house. And if I say a compound house, it's a place where, let's say, an apartment, but it's really open that everybody knows everybody's business, you understand? And so there were a lot of kids in the house, some that were older than me, some that I was older than. And everybody was somehow a performer because they do exams and you can— this person is either first, second, or third. And Rosaline alone, I will be the last, or probably the last but one. And they will be laughing at me. And, uh, unfortunately, unfortunately for me, my aunt that I was staying with was also somebody that really would give you everything that you want, everything that you really want. So I had the best of everything, the best of school bags, the uniforms, everything. And so these kids would be making fun of me, like, look, she has everything, yet she cannot read and write. She's so stupid. She's so lazy. She's so this. And so they would be making fun of me. And it's the same when I go to school as well. I will have all these things. I mean, I'll have my calculators. I'll have the beautiful pens, colourful stuff. And still I couldn't really perform. And so comparing me to maybe somebody who didn't have access to those things that they are performing, just that they feel like you are the most stupid thing ever to be in, in, in this school. And what really saddens me is even the teachers over here in Ghana, you have something wrong, they do something called detention and men's house every morning. And mentals is when you stand up and they ask you 1 1, and then you have to say, and they move on to the other. So imagine if they are going about 10 rounds, I will receive the canes. I will receive all the canes for the sessions that they are going round and round. And then when we write exams as well, they use this red pen and mark everything wrong and do some circle. And it's in Ghana here, everybody understands, called like acrochromatin. And when they put that drawing on your your paper or in your book, it means like you are— like, for instance, you don't have any life. You are really, really dumb and you should sit up in your learning. I honestly didn't know what was wrong. I just also thought like maybe I'm lazy. And so it got to a point where I really started accepting all those words that were being said to me, like you're lazy, you are stupid, you are dumb, you are good for nothing. It really became part of me. And the school was really a hell place for me. But I also didn't have a choice to stop. And so sometimes I would decide I'm going to school and I probably won't go. I'll just go somewhere and play and then go back home. And when my aunt hears about it, she will also end up beating me and will complain to my dad, and my dad will also really be angry. But fast forward into things, I was—

Yeah.

Either repeating class Or they probably would just have mercy on me and promote me because of my age. And so one notable thing is over here in Ghana, we write what we call BECE, Basic Certificate Examination, and you need to pass the BECE before you can go on to high school. And so when it got to the time of the BECE, I had changed schools as well because of my learning difficulties. I'll be changing a lot of school, but this particular school, I was there during my senior time, and they called my parents and said to them that unfortunately we can't register Rosalind as part of our candidates to sit for this BC exams because if we do, we are afraid she's going to bring our scores down because the school was known for very— like, they were very, very performing, uh, school. So I'll bring their result down, therefore they can't register me. And you might wonder that, well, if you're not doing well, then why would you even rush to, to write that exams? But I was almost 18 and I was still in a junior high school at that age. At that age, I should rather be on my way completing high school. And so be At that age, I was in a class with people who were like 13, 14, at most 15. So I was the oldest person in class. I was outgrowing the class, and therefore they had to just find a way for me to be out. And so my parents took the decision and actually went to a village and registered me, and I was part of those people to register. But here is the thing, and if that moment and whatever that I went through Which my parents, I don't even think to date they really understand the extent to how that impacted me negatively. Imagine you studying with people you know for a couple of years to write, like, to— they are your friends, the people, the faces you have known, and it gets to this very important exam time in your life and you are being singled out and say that you can't perform. And so we can't add you to us. You are not accepted at this moment, this junction we are. We can't go with you on this journey, and therefore we need you to go somewhere else. Just imagine what somebody in her 17, almost 18, what that would have impacted me. It was very, very severe. And I hope nobody or any child has to— I pray that nobody has to go through that very experience. It is not— yes, it's not something that anybody has to— I'm sorry.

No, you know what you're saying. My sister next week is talking about the impact of stress on the brain. And, and she says, you know, when children are stressed, they shut down. The brain shuts down and can't cope. And then what do we do? What do parents do? They say they're lazy. Then there's the physical abuse and there's the verbal abuse. And that's exactly what you went through. And, and there's something else you said, um, that you're blaming yourself all the time for your failure. And that's, that's something we really have to get away from because it's not your fault. You cannot do any more than you are doing. So, you know, and you said you still— it's still a traumatic experience for you. We can see that. How did you get out of it?

So I'm I really, I'm learning to get out of it. Like, even till date, I've gone on. I mean, I've gone on to be able to go to school and stuff, and I'm okay in life by the grace of God. Um, but I'm still learning to really get over some of those things. I don't know if it happens to anybody or some of your viewers who have experienced with learning difficulties where your confidence was so, so damaged to the extent that you have to really be a work in progress to restore it. So even till date, I mean, I know my stuff when it comes to hospitality and tourism, but if you call me to do anything with regarding that, even though I know people know I can execute it, I still ask myself Are you enough to take on this challenge? And I really will have to be very intentional about it to pull myself into it. That is how—that is when I will be able to kind of really step out of my my zone and be there and really execute a task. So it's still—I wouldn't say I have gotten out of it. I'm learning to be out of it. But when I feel that is on. And so I wrote the exams, I failed it as the school predicted I was going to bring their scores down. I did fail and I failed very poorly. And so, and then it was the time where everybody, oh yes, we said it, you see, if we had added her to this candidate, she was gonna score and look what she has done. And so everybody was suggesting maybe she should go and learn a trade or she should do this and that. Like, nobody thought, like, continuing education was an option for somebody like me. But thankfully, there was one person who was a friend of mine, and he was even a year older than me, Evans. And Evans was like, no, I don't think you are good for nothing. You have potentials. And if you can listen to me and let me guide you, you'll be able to realize that potential in you. So Evans was the one who actually introduced me to what is culinary, and at that time I called it catering. So he was like, you love to cook. I mean, we come to your house and you're always putting this together, you're cooking for your mom, your auntie, and all that. So I think you should look at that path. If you can't go to the mainstream high school, go to a vocational school. So he actually assisted me to buy the forms, uh, not my parents. He assisted me. I bought the form, we filled it, and I got the admission. And when I got it, I took it to my dad, and I remember he was even furious because he felt like I'm probably going to waste another resource again because doing culinary in this country, also everywhere in the world, is expensive. You have to be doing practicals, you have to be buying things, and if you're not serious, then you're going to waste it. But I finally convinced him and he realized that I wanted to do it. And the first day we arrived in the school, I remember his words to the proprietor of the school that I'm bringing my daughter here I do not have any expectation for her. Just allow her to pass through this school. And so that means, for as far as a father, he, he probably had given up. And I don't fault him because he didn't know, you understand? I don't fault anybody who actually said anything to me when I was growing up because they don't know.

Yeah.

I don't fault them at all, fault anybody. And so he left me. But you know how the divine and the universe work together for things that we sometimes don't even understand? That place was where my turning point was. And it was— now I understand why I felt it was my turning point, and I still say it was my turning point. The learning environment was different from what I was used to. This is a place that was handsome, practicals, experiential. And so I always tell people it was the place that when somebody tell me to measure a cup of flour, I actually could measure a physical flour and I could see it and I could mix it with other ingredients that makes meaning to my senses, to my, my, my picture, to my, like, my mind and everything. If you ask me to pick butter or carrots, any ingredients that I see in the book, I can actually see it in its physical form. And that was what started transforming my mind. So the practicals, the experiential learning, and gradually, miraculously, I started picking up words. To date, there are words I will see and I'll still be staring. I'm like, what word is this? I can't even pronounce this. And so it's not like I'm 100% a pro and I'm reading and all that. I still have those challenges, but it's better than when I was young. So I went through that phase, did it for 3 years, and gradually came into the industry, started working, discovered what hospitality is, and waited for me to be at the age where we call adult age, that you could literally write entrance exams to get into the university to do your first degree. And that is the route I took. And I went to do my first degree, came back to the industry, worked, went and then did my master's, and still in the industry, uh, working to date. And so that is how I have managed with my challenge with learning difficulties.

Wow, that's— that is an amazing story. And then at what point did you, did you form a company? Can you tell us about that?

All right, so, um, in about 2015 or so, 2016 if I'm correct, I spoke at an event, and I am somebody who used to— like I always tell people, I started reading and writing late, um, but I never knew what was wrong. And so I spoke at this event, and after that, a friend of mine was like, no, Rosalind, this is my first time hearing you say this, and I think you may be dyslexic. And I was like, excuse me, what are you talking about? He said dyslexia. I was like, this, this sounds so horrible, like Is it a disease or what is it? And she, she was like, no, you should read about it. To be honest, I respect that person very well, so I receive it very well. But the moment I got out of the building, I just totally blocked my mind and I'm like, I've had enough growing up and I'm not gonna search about any dyslexia or whatever it is. I don't want to be associated with anything. For me, people to be laughing at me again, no, no, no, no. So I'm not gonna do it. But 3 years ago, it happened again, and somebody also asked me, are you dyslexic? And I was like, this is not my first time hearing it, it's the second time, so can you tell me more about it? And so it has to do with this, when you have poor reading, memorizing, organizing your thoughts, and all that. And so he directed me to go to the International Dyslexia Association website, and that was where I found this link that asks you series of questions. Do you find it difficult reading loud? Do you find it difficult processing? Like, all those checkboxes. I probably ticked everything. And it stood out to me and I was like, oh, could it be the ANSA? Because even though I didn't know what was wrong with me, I've always wondered, why is a nice girl like you not being able to kind of really perform as you expect, like, your, your other mates to be doing? So when I started reading and was checking, I was like, could it Could this be the challenge I've been battling with all my life? And so I saw somewhere that stated you can also only confirm you are dyslexic when you have proper assessment done. And so I did have the assessment, and the term— like, the emotions I went through whilst I was taking the assessment. Immediately I got it, and the person was like, wow, I don't know how you managed to go here. I was like, okay, this ends here between you and me. I'm not going to tell anybody that I'm dyslexic. I don't want to be tagged with anything because one, I didn't know how they were going to receive it here in Ghana if I tell somebody I'm dyslexic. So I just forgot about it. Then I came to Ghana and I was just— then I'm like, maybe it's not true. So let me find somebody who is a Ghanaian like myself to see if I could redo the assessment. And so I did the assessment. I went to look for this lady, and she was actually— was like, I don't do it for adults. My, my staff can only do it to age 13 or so. And I was like, why don't you just use the 13? That's one on me. She asked, are you serious? I'm like, yes. And so we went through this Same series of assessments again, and she looked at me and she was like, "You know what? Just embrace it. Dyslexia is nothing. It's not a disease. It's not this. I'm a dyslexic myself." So she told me she's a dyslexic as well, and that's why she had the passion to even go into psychology to be a psychometric today. And I was like, "Oh really? And so you think I'm not gonna be tired?" Then she was like, "But let me warn you." It can be possible that people will tag you because of the environment we are, but let me tell you, it is also the opportunity for you to start sharing information on it for people to know. And so when I came back home, that was like 3 years ago, I decided that no, I need to talk about this. I need to let people know about it because I don't want anybody— Yes. To go through what I went through, and therefore this is the time to do this. But I never had the time. So last year October, I was in Ghana again, and I wrote this article with the help of a friend, and I posted it, and it received a lot of attention. I had opportunity to speak on radio, and a lot of calls came in. So I realized that no, it is something that I. Need to continue. Because some of the parents were like, you're just describing my child, and I've been beating this child a lot because I'm thinking the child is not putting in effort to study. They are calling my child a witch because he's not able to perform XYZ. I cannot school my child again in the mainstream. He's at home studying because he's not performing. And those stories that were coming— to date, I still Receive emails from that article I wrote, and so I made it a point that when next I'm in Ghana, I'm going to start Africa Dyslexia Organization. And thankfully, fortunately, unfortunately, COVID came, and I happened to be in Ghana, and I was like, this is the time to raise awareness, to call for advocacy on this subject, and also. to really give support to people with dyslexia in Ghana. Support in the sense that there's not much support in Ghana.

Yeah.

We have 16 regions in Ghana here, and I could tell you that so far, it's only one region who have some resource, like where you can even do assessments. Schools that can give intervention to students here, it's very, very minimal. However, it is also important that we create awareness. At least when people know, they will be kind. When people know, even if they can't support, they will be really kind to people than the horrible experience that I endured. That is why I started Africa Dyslexia Organization.

You are right. I mean, it's, it's It's not only that you are dyslexic and you can't— you're not learning in the way that everyone else is, but it's that emotional damage that's being done through the teaching. What is— and everyone's pointing at you saying, what is wrong with you? And that's what we have to turn around.

Mm-hmm.

It's the teaching that must change. And that's what, you know, my big deal is, is the teaching must change all the time. Tell us about your working life. What have you done since? Because you've been everywhere.

Okay, so I started— I wanted to become a cook because I didn't know even that you can learn how to cook and become a chef. And so when I went to the vocational school, I realized that, oh, you can actually become a chef. And so my, um, inspiration was to become a very good chef here in Ghana. I finished the school, came, I worked in the kitchen, and whilst I was in the hotels working, I got a mentor who was like, I'm gonna allow you to go through all the divisions we have in a hotel and for you to experience it. So I did that, and that was when she was like, you know, you are very good with people, you have very good interpersonal skills. And I feel like though you are good in the kitchen, you can also be very good when it comes to hospitality management. And so maybe later part in your life, you should look into studying hospitality. And so per the advice she gave me, I started reading about hospitality and I developed the interest. So I went to university to study hospitality, and after that I worked in the industry. um, a bit, and then started my own consulting firm in 20— 2014, uh, which is like 6 years ago now. And we've been in hospitality consulting, so mainly consult for hotels, restaurants, and anybody who wants to have any form of business in the hospitality industry. We also into education where we represent international schools here in Ghana, Togo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia, where we do markets, branding, and activation and promotion and recruitment for such international school universities, uh, around the world. And of course, now I have added on Africa Dyslexia Organization. I'm also a global shaper with the World Economic Forum, so that means I am somebody who who is really, really close to the grassroots work where I want to create impacts. And so I love climate change. I love things about disaster prevention and mitigation. And of course, I love cooking. I've worked in Disney, and now I'm back home to my company to really develop it to the international standard. We don't just do business here in Ghana, but we do business across Africa and other parts of the world as well.

Wow, that is just phenomenal what you've been able to achieve, you know, from your beginnings that were really demoralizing and humiliating, to bring yourself out and to do what you're doing now is phenomenal. Phenomenal. Can I ask a question on education?

Yes.

In your home in Ghana, you obviously don't speak English as a native language.

Okay, so over here in Ghana, uh, we— our official language of working is English.

Yes.

Uh, we use English to teach in schools. Then you have the opportunity to also study French and other local language as well. So we speak the native, our native, native language, which is Twi. Um, and I speak Twi and Krobo because my mom is a Krobo, my dad is Akan. So I speak these 2 languages. Then we have different dialects. So depending on which region you're coming from and the language that you speak, uh, but majority of Ghanaians are able to speak both the called the Twi, which is T-W-I, a language here in Ghana.

And so when you're coming to learn English in your schools, you've never experienced it beforehand?

If you are going to start learning English in school? Maybe parents, I mean, lately parents speak English with their kids at home, even before taking them to school. It wasn't so in my case.

Yeah.

One, because I was living with my grandmother who didn't go to school, so she doesn't speak English. My mom, who stopped schooling at a very early stage because of me— she got pregnant very early— and so she also does not speak English. So I did not get the chance where I was surrounded by people who speak it to me even before going to school. It was basically the school for me, uh, the school when I, I started. But I remember at the age of 13, I said there was a teacher living in the compound house where I was with my auntie, and he would on his television news time and ask me to sit by the telly, and I'll just be staring at the screen like this. trust me, nothing. I can never understand any word that they say at that age. Even at 13 or 14, I never made meaning to any of the English words. And it might shock you, but I did not.

Yeah.

And so he will— we're finishing it, he was asking, what did you hear? And I'm like, I don't know. So he kind of also helped because I realized the more you are looking at the screen and even looking at the lips of people Uh, you probably can start picking up, practicing alongside. And for me, that is how it helps. So when it comes to we look— watching the local movies here where they speak the Cree, or look— looking at the local content here, I made my, my choice that when I had access to television, I, I did— I wasn't watching them. I was watching more of the real English people who speak. If though I wasn't making meaning, I just wanted to have the sound in my, my mind. And that's how gradually I started picking up for me to have a flow like this. I mean, I'm speaking now, and if you can realize, I've made a lot of grammatical errors, and it's because I don't even know how they are corrected. But it is okay. Um, I don't force myself to that, but at least I can express myself In a way that is also comfortable, but I won't really be frustrated. It used to be frustrating when I didn't know I was dyslexic, but now I've embraced it.

Yes, because what you're really describing to me is that you have the double problem, is that you're, you're learning a language that you've never spoken before. You're trying to learn to read a language you've never spoken before, so That in itself is a, you know, takes on a whole new ball game. But it is, and then you're dyslexic on top of it. I mean, I would have been in your position if I'd been asked to speak another language. I couldn't have done it. No way.

Yeah, no. Yeah, it's true, because I tried learning French for several, for several times, different, different times. I'll sign up for French classes and I'll never get it. I leave the Swiss salon They speak French. I was in the French part. I, I, I can— people are surprised, like, you live in Switzerland and you can't speak French? Yes, I can't. Even in my own local language, the Twi, I'm not able to read Twi. I'm— I read English than I read Twi. Yeah. And it surprised people when somebody sent me a message and they write a little Twi, and I'm asking them, what have you written? And they're like, aren't you a Ghanaian? I'm like, no, I can't read it. And it's true, I cannot read it. My mind have not been— the foundation wasn't laid properly for me to be able to form it, to form those words. I feel like I learned English just by— I don't know how I got it, but it's just a miracle.

And, you know, when we were talking the other day, that's what— You said, everything happened to me by chance, and that's what you don't want to happen to anyone else. And my situation is exactly the same. You learn to read by chance, not, not through design. And in that process, you leave— it's too fickle to— for anyone else.

Yeah.

Lisa, what's your situation? And that's distressing. Well, I—

yeah, I actually have a question about, uh, when you were in school, did you notice other students struggling the same way? You mentioned getting into trouble. Did you see other students in the same—

Yes.

Boat?

Yes, yes, I, I—

And so Like, how did you— what did you think was going on with those kids? I'm just curious, like, what did you think yourself having trouble, not understanding that you were dyslexic, getting into trouble, and maybe seeing other kids that were having difficulties? What, what was your assessment of them?

For me, to be honest, I feel like we were the group of unserious students. That is how I classify— I saw myself with them. I didn't see them as different. I felt like we were all the same. We were that group. As a matter of fact, um, a friend of one friend of mine sent me a message, I think earlier this year. There was something that came up. I don't know if it came up in the news or something, and she was sending me a congratulatory message, and she said, Rosalyn, when we were in school, we were those people they looked down upon. But today we are the people they are celebrating. And it was deep for me. It was deep for me.

I love that.

It was deep. But then also I was like, yeah, you are right. But you also know that we are here just by the sheer grace of the Lord, and it's just by chances. A slim— for me, it was just a slim chance. Had it not been the guy who was just a year older than me, who didn't know anything about dyslexia or anything, but he saw something and was like, no, you are good for something, and therefore you should go this direction. I would have missed everything that I am today and all the impacts that I am creating in this world. Could it have been that those people that couldn't make it here, who were in the same bracket as mine, Would they have been— if they had gotten opportunity just like I got, would they have been different? The probability is yes, they probably could have been different and even better, in a better position. Because some of them, if you are looking for them, you don't even know where they are. You probably will hear, oh, this person have about 5 kids and is living in some village. And that is sad because we probably have lost a talent. We probably have lost somebody who could have been something today in this world, and it shouldn't be so.

Yeah.

So for me, I just always give thanks to the Lord. I give thanks to this guy Evans as well, but they could have also been different. However, I saw myself that we were the very unserious student because the funny thing is When we go and do extracurricular activity, like going on an excursion, sports time, that is when you see us cheering up, like we're so happy. But when it comes to the books, we are like— I don't know which animal is the most silent animal.

Well, I was speaking with the mother this morning whose son is 15 and struggling with reading, and, and, you know, she's reached out to me And it does happen by chance. And that's, that's one of the biggest problems. That's why, why we're doing the series. And but it's not only by chance, it's the damage done prior to that as well. That's why we want to get the message out. We simply must teach children to read because there was no changes in your, in your education.

No.

You know, it's— and you blame yourself. Teachers blamed you, then you blame yourself. I mean, that's that's the horrific part, and you can't do any more changes. Yeah, yeah. So we've we've got to get the parents and parents for blaming you, and parents are blaming you.

Exactly, exactly, exactly. Yeah, that's that's my that I feel guilty about that every day.

That you did blame your son. I love your story though. Yes.

Who, in me? Oh yeah, I mean, absolutely. And, you know, that's why I asked the question, did you see other people that were struggling? What did you think of those people? Because we see these kids that are struggling, we don't know why. I mean, we should know why in this day and age, we should understand this, but you don't know why. The individuals don't know why they're not performing. The teachers don't know. And you mentioned, you know, the schools wanna look good, they want their scores to be high. So they, it's almost like they don't, I don't want to say they don't care, but it's unfortunate for the child. The child doesn't get the help that they need, and they don't know what the problem is. I think that's my biggest problem with this whole thing, is that the individual has no idea that they are dyslexic. And when you know that, with that comes an understanding of why you struggle and where your talents could be.

Yeah.

Where is that self-esteem booster for the child? And then, you know, the poor kids are getting it handed to them at school, and then And then they come home and the parents are like, maybe they got a call from the school, you know, and they're getting grounded and why aren't you— you know, it's a nightmare.

Right.

And I so appreciate your story because it's such a fantastic story, the emotion that you had telling it.

Yes.

And then to go on and explain how you became this, you know, fantastic success story. And as you said, it was by chance. You had someone that understood that there was something in you that encouraged you. And I agree with Lois, we shouldn't be leaving this to chance.

Yeah. And someone that believed in you, you know, was critical change. And I think that's the other part, is that children very quickly realise, you don't believe in me, you don't think I can do anything. Because I can't learn to read with ease, I therefore cannot do anything. And that's the other perception that we want to change.

Exactly, exactly. I totally understand and agree with you all. Like, we recognize it as very— I still remember all the teachers who said horrible things to me. As a matter of fact, one week ago, one of them called me and told me, I'm on pension now. I see you are doing very well. I'm proud of you, but can you help me get something doing? And I'm like, Yeah, I will help you. But then after the call ended, I was like, you treated me so horrible.

Mm-hmm.

You treated me so horrible, but do you see today that I am somebody that you can call on? And it's the same way those who couldn't get here could have been a supporting system or to even be somebody that we have missed today. And therefore, I will do my best with Africa Dyslexia Organization to really make sure that I give my best support. Because if somebody like Evans, who has never had that experience— because he is a first-class student— had never had that experience, he had a very good life, could sense that I am somebody and be able to talk life into me for me to really progress. This is the guy who did my first CV for me. He directed, he held my hands to my first place of work to go and do interview. This is the support system people are looking for, mentorship, the words of affirmation that you are somebody, you can do it, you can learn how to read, you can really get in so that life does not become like a chance you and you either miss it or you either get on it. It shouldn't be like that. My father was first challenging that, oh, maybe, Rosaline, you couldn't read and write because you went and lived in the village with my mother. But then I told Daddy that there are people in the village which are students who perform so well that they are in the village but they are even recognized on the national page that this person is in this village and has performed very well. So it does not have to be with the environment, though it might contribute to it. But for this, I don't think it is something— when it comes to learning, it is something that has to do with the environment.

Yeah, yeah, that's— and, you know, the other thing we're recognizing here too is that dyslexia is an international problem. It doesn't belong to particular nations, but it's across the board. There's a range of people who, you know, who have dyslexia, and it's got to be recognized in every educational community.

Exactly.

And it comes then down to the teaching and how are we going to teach these children rather than just condemn them. And the physical punishment—

Yeah.

You can't do both.

No, the physical punishment is intense, like Yeah, I used to have these cane marks on my legs, uh, that I have received from just beating because I was in studios. I wasn't getting my works right, getting canes all the— I was always receiving canes. And I was— so when it happens like that, this group of students also are classified as the bad students.

Yes.

You are classified, you are putting into the bracket that you are bad, so they are always picking on you. for anything that is wrong in the school.

Yes. Yeah, yeah. Yours isn't the only story of trauma that we will have on this series, unfortunately, because I know Martin Bloomfield is going to talk from England, and he said school for me was torture.

Yeah, torture. I agree. It's a, it's a torture, like And especially in our part of the world here, it is torture because you'll be picked on. Like, who are you?

Yeah.

If you are somebody when you can only produce, like you can only perform in academics over here in Ghana. And so I remember even going to vocational school, I was made fun of. Oh yeah, she went to vocational school, she couldn't get to high school. She couldn't go to the mainstream high school, vocational school. But then today I know some of those people, even my own friends, wish they had gone to the vocational school because what I have skills, I have built skills that today even when I put my certificates down, I can still use my hand to do something and still go on in life.

Yes, yes. Rosalind, thank you for being here today. I've got a question. What do you think the first step should be for teachers to gain a better understanding of dyslexics students are going through? Listen to stories like yours would be my answer.

Yes, listen to stories like mine to be the answer. And also the, the government's institution focusing on education realizing and accepting that there are learning differences, or they should call it there are learning disabilities. And so yes, you can see somebody with a physical disability and you want to give help too, but when it comes to learning difficulties or disability, you don't see, but those people still need help. So for me, I'm advocating that for every teacher to pass out from our teachers' training college here in Ghana, that teacher must take a training when it comes to learning differences and how to give— how to spot such students and give assistance to them. And also really having assessment centers at least in every region so that teachers, when they spot such students, can have assessment done and can really confirm that this person is a dyslexic, and therefore we need to have a learning intervention structure for the person. And I think we can get somewhere.

That was brilliantly said.

Thank you.

And it, you know, it's all so important, so important. Our time is up, so thank you for joining us today. Please hit the like and subscribe button, which helps us get the stories out that learning disabilities are not lifelong disabilities, and we do need support people. Connect with me on my website, loislatchford.com, and you can find me on Facebook and Twitter. Lisa, where can people find you?

I'm on Facebook.

And you are with?

I know. Okay.

Go ahead, go ahead. Yeah.

Hi, um, you can find me Rosaline Abigotcho on Facebook, on LinkedIn, and also Africa Dyslexia Organization. We have— you just type africadyslexia.org and you can learn on our website, which is just about to be launched, but you have all our social media handles listed on, and you just click and you'll be in touch with me.

That's awesome. This is fantastic. Thank you so much. And what is it? And LinkedIn. Yes, we're all on LinkedIn. Yeah. Thank you. And next week, next week, following on from here, from your traumatic experience, we actually talked to a nurse, psychiatric nurse, who is my sister Lenore, who has an interest in trauma. And she tells us what actually happens to the brain when it's traumatized, and how it actually cannot take in information. And with the environments that we need to allow the brain to function is what she talks about next, next week. So join us listening to Lenore Hall. She's from Australia. She has to get up very early to talk to us. But thank you for talking to us from Ghana and sharing your experiences. And I have taken away a lot from here. Stop blaming yourself. That we need someone to believe in you and that we need the support all the way through. We need to know that this is a this is a real life disability that can be overcome.

Thank you.

Thank you. Also at the end logging off. Feel free to ask questions and you're all welcome to ask questions on my website and on. Africa Dyslexia website and for Lisa on— and on here as well, whatever that means. Thank you, thank you, and we'll talk to you next week. Thank you. Thank you, Rozia, this was brilliant.

You're welcome. Bye. Okay, bye.

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