When local man Jason Carty reads a book, the letters run into rivers down the page.
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“I can see a line zig- zag down the page towards the words,” he said.
“Between each word there is one little gap, I see them going down the page. And I see words back to front.”
Mr Carty only discovered he had dyslexia at the age of 26, when he become engaged to his wife.
For more than half his life, he struggled to read or write and was isolated by this inability.
“I just thought I was dumb. I couldn't read or spell,” he said.
“I didn't have the help, the kids thought I was slow, I got bullied most days.
“I was just asking for help in front of the class.”
Feeling dejected, he left school at 16.
His wife Christine encouraged him to get tested, where he was given different coloured lenses. That made a huge difference.
“I went from reading a Grade 3 book, to reading a HSC (Grade 12) paper or uni book,” he said.
The red-hued lenses also take the glare off the white page, which can help him read.
Once terrified of failing exams, he completed a bus operator course at Monash with flying colours.
The Carty’s 12-year-old son, Theo, also has dyslexia.
But recognising it early, along with advanced understanding about the condition, means he has had a very different school experience to his father.
Mr Carty said they picked up on Theo’s dyslexia when he was in Grade 3. Now he’s in Grade 7, and his literacy is on the right level.
“If you’re not diagnosed when you’re a child, you miss a lot years of help,” Mr Carty said.
“When you're a kid, the glasses help better. It retrains your brain.”
Christine Carty is part of a local group BOLD – Building Opportunities for those who Learn Differently – in an effort to raise awareness of the condition, which affects one in 10 Australians.
The group said it was promising to see the state government was reviewing its program for students with disabilities specifically targeting dyslexia.
“Currently students with dyslexia do not receive any additional assistance. We hope this review will provide some much needed support for our students,” she said.
Walk for Dyslexia being held by BOLD this Sunday, October 18 at Strathdale Park at the corner of Crook Street and McIvor Road from 1.15pm.
The event – part of Dyslexia Empowerment Week – is free and attendees are encouraged to flaunt their favourite purple garb.