Skip over main navigation
  • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
Dear Dyslexic Foundation
Menu
  • About us
    • What we do
    • Our vision and mission
    • Meet our CEO and Founder
      • Our CEO and founder
        • Shae's story: the School Years
        • Shae's story: life at university
        • Shae's story: work/life
    • Board of directors
    • DDF Reports
      • Half Yearly Report 2020
      • 2019 Annual Report
    • Our partners
  • Our advocacy work
    • The difference we make
    • Working with Governments
    • Education and Awareness Raising
    • National Campaigns
      • 2020 National Dyslexia Awareness Activities
        • #FacesofDyslexia2021
        • Self-Portrait Entries
        • Meet the Judges
        • Faces of Dyslexia 2021 Awards Night Celebrations
      • 2019 National Dyslexia Awareness Activities
    • Research
    • Case studies
  • Help for individuals
    • Why get an assessment?
    • Assessments
    • Workplace coaching
    • Tutoring
    • Looking after our Mental Health and Wellbeing
      • Dyslexia and Mental Health and Wellbeing
    • Support Groups
      • Dear Dyslexic Facebook Community and more
      • PhD Group for dyslexic students
  • Workplace support
    • DHub
    • Coaching for indivduals and businesses
    • Workplace Consulting
  • Dyslexia resources
    • Dear Dyslexic Podcast Series
    • Question Dys Series
    • Mental Health and Thriving Series
    • Blogs
    • Factsheets
      • Dyslexia, what is it?
      • Dysgraphia, what is it?
      • Dyscalculia, what is it?
      • Dyspraxia, what is it?
      • Dyslexia and Mental Health - Getting support
      • Dyslexia and Mental Health and Wellbeing how can you look after yourself
      • Assistive Technology
      • Assessment Strategies for Students
      • Dyslexia in the Workplace
      • Employers and Dyslexia - How you can help
      • Dyslexia and disclosure in the workplace; Should I tell work that I have dyslexia?
        • Supporting Students with Dyslexia in Higher Education
      • Dyslexia in Our Community
        • Dyslexia and the Justice System
          • Dyslexia and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities
  • Get involved
    • Work with us
    • Current roles
    • Donate
    • Sponsor a podcast
    • Workplace partnerships
    • Share your story
  • Latest News and Events
    • News
    • Events
  • Shop
  • Contact Us
  • Admin
    • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
  • Shae's story: Life at university
  1. About us
  2. Meet our CEO and Founder
  3. Our CEO and founder
  4. Shae's story: life at university

Shae's story: Life at university

So at the young age of 20, I travelled the world, lived in the UK, fell in love, came home and (more irony) got into a bachelor degree in Speech Pathology. And yes, I was still oblivious to the fact that I was dyslexic.

I started the course and hated it from the beginning. I constantly failed subjects, but again found the right group of people that helped get me through. We would laugh at how I couldn’t pronounce the names in neuroanatomy, but did I feel smart telling people I was studying neuroanatomy, audiology and physiology! So I struggled on, either just scraping a pass or failing. I re-sat many exams. My stress levels were always high, but I kept going. I didn’t want to let people down, or for people to think I was dumb and couldn’t do it.

Stubbornness is a useful (and common) trait for dyslexics!

And still not one lecturer stopped to ask me if I was ok, why I might be having so much trouble grasping basic grammar concepts that I should have learnt in primary school, or why I couldn’t count out the syllables in a simple word. This was a faculty of experts who were training students to help people like me!

In the final semester of my final year, while I was on placement, my supervisor stopped me and said that there was something wrong with me.

"I don’t know how you got this far, how you even passed secondary school but I can't pass you, you can’t write. I think you're dyslexic."

I was shocked and so distressed. At this point I wasn’t thinking about the disability so much as here I was in final placement of my last year and they weren’t going to give me my degree. I had worked so hard to get to that point and I was crushed.

That stubbornness came into play again. I was not going to allow the university who had failed me as a student by not identifying earlier that something was wrong to do this to me. So I took on extra work over the summer holidays and they finally passed me. So then I was thrilled, I’ve got my degree, but I was also really scared —something was wrong and I didn’t know what I was going to do next.

I wanted to give up on everything, bouts of depression haunted me, but I kept persisting.

Published: 10th August, 2019

Updated: 28th September, 2019

Author: Shae Wissell

Share this page
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Latest

  • Workplace coaching and assessments

    Workplace coaching and assessments

  • Latest research out now: Leading Diverse Workforces

    Latest research out now: Leading Diverse Workforces

  • Why is it important to create psychologically safe workplaces for people to openly disclose their disability?

    Why is it important to create psychologically safe workplaces for people to openly disclose their disability?

  • Workplace consulting and training

    Workplace consulting and training

    Our customised consulting services provide you with the opportunity to develop more inclusive workplace practices that empower your employees to reach their full working potential.

Most read

  • Get involved

  • Latest

  • Dyslexia and disclosure in the workplace; Should I tell work that I have dyslexia?

    Dyslexia and disclosure in the workplace; Should I tell work that I have dyslexia?

  • Dyslexia and Mental Health and Wellbeing how can you look after yourself

    Dyslexia and Mental Health and Wellbeing how can you look after yourself

  • Dysgraphia, what is it?

    Dysgraphia, what is it?

    Dysgraphia is a learning difficulty. When you go back to its Greek roots, it’s a combination of ‘dys’ meaning difficulty and ‘graph’ meaning to write – so it’s literally difficulty writing.

  • Dyspraxia, what is it?

    Dyspraxia, what is it?

    Dyspraxia is a disorder of movement and coordination. In dyspraxia, the signals that go from the brain to the muscles are interrupted.

  • Assessment Strategies for Students

    Assessment Strategies for Students

  • Dear Dyslexic Podcast Series

    Dear Dyslexic Podcast Series

    Dear Dyslexic podcasts share stories of the lived experience of people who have dyslexia, as well as those of people who care for, live and work with those with dyslexia and other learning disabilities

  • ‘Dyslexic? Doing a Doctorate? No way’!: Supervising the PhD journey of the student with dyslexia webinar

    ‘Dyslexic? Doing a Doctorate? No way’!: Supervising the PhD journey of the student with dyslexia webinar

  • Contact Us

Tag cloud

#FacesofDyslexia2021 adults art depression dislexia dyscalcluia dyscalculia dysgraphia dyslexia dyslexia dislexia dyscalcluia education higher education learning disabilities PhD self-portrait young people

Sign up for our newsletter

* indicates required
Acknowledgement
The Dear Dyslexic Foundation acknowledges all the Traditional Owners and Tribes of country throughout Australia. We pay our respects to them and their culture, and to Elders both past and present.

Disclaimer
Dear Dyslexic makes no warranty, express or implied, that the information contained on this website is comprehensive. They accept no responsibility for any consequence arising from the inappropriate application of this information. The information on this website should not be considered medical or professional advice.
Find us

Registered Office
42-44 Aylesbury Dr

Altona VIC 3018

Mail Address

P.O. Box 5123
Moreland West
3055 VIC

Contact:[email protected]

Follow us

  • Search
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin



This website uses Browsealoud 
Learn how to use it and its functionality.

Site Links
Sitemap Accessibility Terms & Conditions  Privacy Policy References

© 2022 Dear Dyslexic All rights reserved.
ACN 618066523 ABN 66618066523