Product Description Being stigmatized with the label "learning disabled" can have a devastating effect on children struggling with dyslexia. Facing the social and academic challenges of growing up and going to school when dealing with words is a daily struggle, children living with dyslexia are the focus of this inspiring documentary. Produced by the Oscar - and Emmy - winning team of Alan and Susan Raymond (who created the groundbreaking PBS documentary series An American Family), this 77-minute film addresses the public's misunderstanding of learning differences and demonstrates the great potential of each dyslexic individual. Aside from discussing the daily struggles of youth coping with learning differences, this film incorporates interviews with professionals in the fields of medicine and education who assess the road ahead technologically and academically and shares stories by successful adults who have dyslexia. These subjects bring a new outlook on life to those struggling with their "disability," and will inspire those from all areas of the learning spectrum. .com Journey into Dyslexia explores the phenomenon of people who have enormous difficulty with words--people who all too often are pushed aside as disabled or, cruelly, labeled stupid. The most powerful aspect of the documentary is the straightforward interviews with dyslexics themselves, among them young students grappling with these issues in the classroom; a professor at Johns Hopkins, whose son is also dyslexic; famed consumer advocate Erin Brockovich; a college recruiter who first heard about dyslexia on The Cosby Show; and a micro-miniature sculptor, who makes expressive sculptures that fit inside the eye of a needle. One dyslexic has invented a device that can read, with an electronic voice, any page it photographs--he reflects the sizable percentage of entrepreneurs who are dyslexic, as the difficulties they face force them to develop other extremely useful and inventive skills. As a movie, Journey into Dyslexia doesn't experiment with form, as so many contemporary documentaries have (such as Man on Wire, Exit Through the Gift Shop, or the works of Errol Morris); this is unfashionably square, a mix of talking heads and scientific explication. But the subject matter is so rich--and the interviews so compelling and nakedly emotional--that viewers may come away envying the unique challenges and triumphs that dyslexics experience. --Bret Fetzer
A**R
A fantastic movie!
W-O-W. This film is for anyone who has a learning "disability" or what I like to call "difference," and a must watch for anyone who has Dyslexia, knows someone who does, or is an educator of any age group. This movie spends the first twenty minutes with a lot of commentary from juveniles with dyslexia who share their feelings and thoughts. The first twenty were difficult for me to watch because it had so much struggle, but about 30 minutes into the movie, we began hearing from now grown adults with dyslexia who have found a way to succeed despite being labeled and rejected by the traditional standards society has set for humans. There is also commentary from experts giving a different perspective on why dyslexia is not a disorder or disease, but a gift.I found it easy to relate to this movie, as an educator and as a person with dyslexia who has a Genius IQ. I read and write everyday, over 100 pages of reading each day, and over twenty pages of long hand writing. I still make mistakes, and I though I can have difficulty spelling or sounded out words I have never read before, I have a unique style and approach to all material. I was told by my superiors as a child that I was not very smart, or I was lazy, or simply that I was the worst problem child they had ever dealt with. You want to know why they said this? I made specific questions regarding the way they taught me things, because my mind would take a long time to figure out 100 solutions to a problem most people only see 1 solution to, and mostly because no matter what I just was not what made life easier for them- there was struggle and friction between two ways of thinking. I am grateful I have a mom with dyslexia who did not expect me to learn like they taught or made me feel bad about being put down by teachers, she actually refused to allow them to label me. I had tested high on every intelligence test from grade school, but when it came to actual classroom learning I was confused. She forced them to keep me there, and though I never knew why everyone else seem to get writing and reading easily- I moved ahead and memorized everything I could. This made me work harder in school, and gave me the gift of learning how to prepare better than anyone else by trying to predict any question the teacher or people may ask and know the answer without showing my difficulty with language or ordering the answers the way that made sense to the majority of people. I am so glad that in real life we are not graded on written language as much as we try to force our children to believe. There are different paths people can take towards success, and the terrible misunderstanding the majority of the population has on on different ways of thinking needs to improve into a more realistic truth: Dyslexia is a different wiring of the brain that can provide benefits to all of mankind, and if we learn to appreciate these differences we will definitely have more Albert Einsteins emerge.
M**C
The best inspiration + hope for any child or adult with dyslexia
As a successful adult who has fought my entire life to overcome learning disabilities (3 generations that my family knows of, including my clinical psychologist mother) and someone who has read, heard, and been down every road there is concerning it, I found this documentary to be the absolute best and most inspirational item on dyslexia that I have seen in YEARS! It is perfect for pre-adolescent (and perhaps younger) children who are already able to notice and comprehend their difficulties, differences, struggles and - most importantly - the stigma attached to learning disabilities.The best part about (from a "sufferer" point fo view) is that it doesn't focus on the "clinical" aspects of dyslyxia or LD - the learning plans/IEPs, how "wonderful" and accomodating schools are nowadays under the Americans with Disabilities Act, etc. It profiles - in first person interviews - children currently fighting the battle, as well as successful adults at all levels - from businessmen, Nobel Prize winners + Erin Brockovich herself, to those who have built amazing businesses and livelihoods but who "...have read only 2 books in their entire life."It's a no-fluff but inspirational look at not only surviving but SUCCEEDING with dyslexia, first-hand from those who have fought the battle. As a moderately successful adult who has (and still does) suffer from learning disabilities, I still cry when I watch this, as A) it brings back strong memories of the fight, and B) it reminds me I am not alone...The only "downside" for me is that it constantly links the term "dyslexia" only to learning disabilities involving words. This sort of irks me as someone who reads and writes above level but has a math-based learning disability. Nonetheless, everything you see here still applies, and I recoomend it for anyone - child, adult, parent, friend, clasmate - who wants to truly understand what we GO through - not just to understand the "medical" parts of it.Recommended with all my heart !!!
K**T
A Compelling Must-See for Many Reasons
The Amazon editorial review is correct in stating this film doesn't utilize slick documentary film styles or experimental narrative. Nonetheless, it is quite compelling and moving. I believe it should be required viewing for every teacher and administrator in education.Additionally, family and friends of dyslexics, as well as dyslexics themselves, will benefit from watching this film, even if they have previously "read all the books" on the subject and are familiar with the facts and statistics. This film is more of an homage than a primer. It manages to convey the often heart wrenching emotional cost of growing up with dyslexia, while simultaneously striking a very hopeful and positive tone, celebrating the gift that is the dyslexic brain.As the parent of a dyslexic child, I try to educate myself as best I can on the subject. "Journey into Dyslexia" is uplifting and supportive in a way that is beyond many other sources of information I have sought previously. It is inspirational. I came home from the screening and jumped right on Amazon to order it so my child can view it as well. It will be a welcome addition to our library, and I think it will be a film to watch more than once--whenever she needs to remind herself that she is wonderfully, amazingly different.Kudos to the film makers and the brave people who were willing to be interviewed, laying open their hearts and their heartaches for us all to see. Thank you for your generosity of spirit!
C**R
GOOD FOR THE UNDERSTANDING HOW THE BAIN WORKS
INTERESTING AND I LEARN A LOT THAT I HADN'T REALIZE BEFORE
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