REBECCA Constable’s experience with dyslexia has had an impact nationwide.
The 20-year-old, from Swaithe View, Worsbrough Dale, was diagnosed with the condition when she was seven.
A creative writing competition while studying for her first year of Theatre Design at Nottingham Trent University prompted Rebecca to write about her experiences with bullying and the condition.
That story, Impact, saw her take home both the category and overall prizes, and being published by Dayglo Books.
The book is even more remarkable as Rebecca says it is the first of its kind to be printed in 12 different tints, to help dyslexia sufferers read it.
It has also seen Rebecca shortlisted for the Community Hero category at the Young Champions Awards.
Rebecca said: “It is crazy to see my work published but really cool. And it is good to know I can help people too. I now get to speak to people up and down the country in meetings and they can relate really well to my experiences, feeling confident enough to share their own stories. It can get quite emotional at times.
“When I was younger it wasn’t until I reached high school that people really accepted I had it. I would be put into lower groups and given children’s books to read, to the point where my parents had to pay privately for me to go to a dyslexia unit outside of school to learn.
“I got a bit more help in high school but it wasn’t until unviersity when I was properly given some assistance, with technology which lets me speak to it and write and have it talk back to me.
“The experience has been amazing and has helped me go talk to people about it. I was also invited to the British Dyslexic Association in London where I was nominated for an award and did a reading there in front of a lot of people.”
