While dyslexia is characterized by choppy, slow, inaccurate reading, and extremely poor spelling, written expression is still by far the most challenging effort for my clients. Thus, I am always impressed and heart-warmed when they write me personally, share a piece of writing, or allow me to share an IEW project we worked on together.
This page is dedicated to my clients as appreciation for their touching and powerful good works.
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The following piece is written by a young client, Ben, who humbled me as his subject for an IEW school interview assignment. I was taken aback and in tears when I read it, and I am so proud of him. Ben is a bright, kind, and compassionate person. He has incorporated the IEW techniques, and his writing flows well, is humorous and interesting — even if I am the subject. Thank you Ben for this wonderfully complimentary work and for choosing to interview me.
The Wonderful Kristi Davis
by Ben Hoff
Have you ever met someone who, over time, becomes almost like part of your family? I have met that person. Her name is Kristi Davis and she is my Barton tutor. I chose to interview Ms. Kristi because I thought she’d be interesting to write about. I had a fun time interviewing her and even though I’ve known her for over two years, there were many things about her that I didn’t know. I’ve chosen to write about her childhood in West Virginia, her life after high school and her ongoing tutoring career. I hope you enjoy learning about Ms. Kristi’s life.
[1]Kristi Sue Staats was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Kristi, w ho i s the youngest of six, enjoyed being the youngest, although it meant she was very often tormented by her older siblings. [6]Poor little Kristi! [2]In her household there was much laughter, jokes and pranks. [3]Surprisingly, even her mother would join in on the fun! In Kristi’s free time she truly enjoyed reading and her favorites were Nancy Drew books and Pippy Longstocking. [5]As she grew older, she still adored mystery books and she read Sherlock Holmes and many works by Agatha Christie, her favorite being “Curtain”. Kristi went to public school, but she wishes she could have been homeschooled. [4]Growing up in West Virginia, Kristi has countless memories with many smiles and a lot of love.
[1]Kristi has had the opportunity to work in many different types of jobs. [2]After graduating a year early from high school, Kristi went to a local community college. [5]While she didn’t earn a degree, she was blessed with wonderful opportunities for on-the-job training. She did IT work for an engineering company working on the server, which managed the drawings and the drafting software. She worked as a draftsman for DuPont and did scheduling for the engineers and IT. But her ideal job was working for an expert witness for construction and engineering litigation. It was like detective work. [6]She absolutely loved i t! In 1995 she moved to Wilmington, Delaware. [4]Marrying Bob, she became Kristi Davis. Although she misses her family in West Virginia, there are many neat opportunities like museums and the beach. [3]Ultimately, her best-loved job of all was being a mother to her two daughters.
[1]Kristi started on a new path when she began homeschooling her youngest daughter, Rose. Kristi said, “I homeschooled her, but she educated me in so many ways.” Rose, who has dyslexia, struggled with reading and spelling. [5]Although Kristi and Rose tried many different phonics programs at home, none of them worked out. Then they tried the Barton Reading and Spelling System, and Rose benefited greatly from this type of l earning. [2]After seeing the wonderful benefits of the Barton program, Kristi decided to become a Barton tutor. In 2009, Rose became Kristi’s first tutoring student. Kristi said that Barton wasn’t hard to learn, but Rose“got the worse tutoring.” [4]Tutoring many more students over the years, Kristi has become very well-educated in the method of Barton. [3]Thankfully, Kristi became my tutor in 2018 and I have l earned a lot since then. It has been extremely helpful for my dyslexia in the areas of spelling and reading. I’m very grateful that Ms. Kristi chose that new career path because she has helped me and so many others with dyslexia.
Kristi Davis’s childhood, her different careers, being a mother and wife, becoming a Barton tutor - all of these have added up to who she is today. I feel blessed to know her and to be taught by her. Before I started my tutoring journey, I often felt discouraged by my dyslexia, but now with Ms. Kristi’s help, I am growing more confident. She has helped me to see my strengths even though I’m dyslexic. I hope that this report has helped you to see what a wonderful person Ms. Kristi is. _________________________________________________________________
When a precious client of mine completed The Barton System, he sent a gift that I treasure along with this darling thank you note. I proudly display his words as it reminds me of how much fun I had working with this bright, perceptive, and genuine young man. I miss him dearly. The honor was always mine Elijah.
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This retelling of the Aesop Fable: The Miller, His Son, and the Donkey is written by a former Barton client, who is now an IEW client. He loves inserting conversation, adding humor, and an unexpected ending. Enjoy!
Kylen Engram May 18, 2022
Vernon and Pip’s Donkey Adventure
Once upon a time in the Dark Ages, there lived a boy, Pip, and his father, Vernon, and a really old donkey named Bruce. They lived in the country. They had a successful farm, which grew greens and raised livestock. While the sun was rising, Vernon woke up next to his demanding wife.
Gracefully, this morning she demanded “Vernon take that donkey to the market and make a trade,” because she wanted to get Vernon out of the house.
Yawning, Vernon stared outside and observed Pip playing peacefully in the sun without a shirt.
Vernon yelled, “Go get Bruce! It’s that time.”
Vernon noticed a tear roll down Pip’s face.
Pip replied, “I don’t want him to die.”
Vernon and Pip dissatisfiedly and sadly saddled up Bruce and headed out on the rocky road to market, which was on the other side of town.
Shortly after they proceeded down the road, they gazed at an old man tiredly carrying his groceries down the street.
From across the road, the old man scolded Pip, “Let your Father ride the donkey. He’s taken care of you all your life. You should be returning the favor. Don’t be like my grandkids.” He began to cry.
Pip replied, “We weren’t riding him, because we wanted him fresh for market.”
The old man, who was bald, stared blankly into the soul of Pip, and demanded, “I don’t care. Get your Father on that Donkey.”
Pip and Vernon obliged and continued down the road again for two hours. When the donkey was walking, they noticed three lanky, yet graceful and motherly women carrying vegetables.
Walking along the road, the three women hollered, “That’s a crime the father is on the donkey. The donkey should only be carrying the little boy.”
So once again, they complied and Vernon hopped off of Bruce. Pip jumped on, and Bruce appeared as if he were in excruciating pain.
So once more with Pip on Bruce, they continued on their way down to the market. Suddenly, they spotted three wealthy merchants. Bruce casually passed the merchants, and Vernon heard them laughing.
Vernon, wanting to be included, exclaimed, “Why are you guys laughing at us?”
The merchants turned around and replied, “Because we find it awfully humorous that you both aren’t on that donkey rather than you switching back and forth.”
Vernon and Pip panickily puzzled at each other and Vernon hopped on board. Bruce started sweating. His legs were about to break. For the very last time, they continued on their boring journey to the market. Pip peered at Vernon with tiredness in his eyes.
Vernon calmly exerted, “Don’t worry son. It will all be over soon.”
Bruce passed by a person selling hides.
The salesman gasped, “Why would you do that to that poor donkey? You two should be ashamed of yourselves.”
Vernon questioned, “What are you talking about?”
The salesman replied with anger in his tone, “ You two should get off that donkey if you are taking it to market, and let its last few hours be memorable and not filled with exhaustion. You two should carry it.”
Vernon stared in anger and exclaimed, “Okay! Fine!”
They both hopped off and carried the donkey on their backs. For the last time, they are back on their way to the market. As they walked, Vernon and Pip became exhausted. Vernon realized there was a shortcut to the market.
Vernon stated, “Let’s head over there.”
Vernon pointed at a rickety bridge.
Pip responded, “I don’t know about that one Dad.”
Vernon, Pip, and Bruce stepped foot onto the rickety bridge.
Pip questioned, “Are you sure this is stable?”
Suddenly, they hear a crack, but it was too late. Bruce fell through the broken bridge. Pip and Vernon fell into the pond below too.
In the water, Pip shouted, “I am done! I’m going home. The pond can keep this donkey.”
Vernon relieved and suddenly agreed, “Let’s go home.”
Calmly, Bruce sat in the pond, which was a mucky green, questioning what happened. Strolling down the path, there was a tall man that wandered by and then willingly walked near him and stared at him.
As he relaxed, a comforting voice reassured Bruce, “Don’t be scared my animal. Thou I shall take care of you. I saw this happen when I was in Heaven and came to save you. Come now my donkey for this new life you shall live. Before I taketh you, you now look like a common donkey. Do you want spots of your own color?”
Bruce made joyful donkey noises.
“I see. You shall have gray dapples all over your back.”
And they strolled strongly, happily, and contentedly off into the sunset.
Pip and Vernon had a great adventure with their donkey and learned never try to please everyone.
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The following piece is by an adult client, Garry. With this article, he boldly brought dyslexia to the forefront of his workplace. Sadly, dyslexia is often accompanied by shame and poor self-esteem preventing folks from speaking up for some simple accommodations. By acknowledging dyslexia, Garry encouraged co-workers to get assistance they need and helped employers understand how common dyslexia is.
Dyslexia in the Workplace
by Garry Den-Beeman
A person that is born with dyslexia will always have it. If you were lucky in school, you had good teachers with knowledge of dyslexia and strategies to help you learn how to read and spell. If you were unlucky, like me, you were placed in classes that would not challenge you, or you were stuck in a class and labeled as lazy. With the right training, some can learn to be proficient with reading and spelling depending on the degree they are affected by dyslexia. About 1 out of 5 people are affected. That means, either you or somebody you know probably has dyslexia to some degree. It is a great unspoken condition, even in schools and the workplace today.
Dyslexia in the workplace can be challenging. Many companies do not give dyslexics accommodations even though it’s protected by the American Disabilities Act. On the flip side, many dyslexics feel shame and do not report their disability to their companies. Even in my own experience, I have run into negative bias because I was unable to spell correctly or fluently produce language in writing. There are many that do not understand dyslexia and assume that because a person cannot read fluently or spell correctly that the he or she is either slow or lazy.
Some strengths that dyslexics possess that companies can capitalize on are that they can see the “Big Picture”, which allows them to see the relational value of complex systems. Also, they have the innate ability to “Think outside the box” which enables them to come up with creative solutions to complex problems. People who have struggled with dyslexia also have learned to overcome obstacles through hard work and effort and possess the qualities of perseverance and fortitude. They bring these qualities into the work environment. Even though dyslexics have these innate abilities which make them valuable employees, employers can aid the employee by offering certain accommodations.
There are many accommodations that can help dyslexic employees reach their full potential. For example, text to speech and speech to text software (like Dragon) allows for an employee to quickly and accurately create and answer any correspondence and create reports and proposals. Also, extra time allotment for written correspondence is also helpful. Furthermore, a workspace available for times when the employee must use text to speech and speech to text software allows the employee to work without interfering with other personnel.
A note to anyone who may have dyslexia or any other learning disability, it is important that you have early conversations with your supervisors. This will help ensure that any negative biases will not be established, and accommodations can be addressed early.
What is Dyslexia
The International Dyslexia Association states:
Dyslexia is a neurologically-based, often familial, disorder which interferes with the acquisition and processing of language.
It varies in degrees of severity
It is manifested by difficulties in receptive and expressive language, including phonological processing, in reading, writing, spelling, handwriting, and sometimes in arithmetic.
It is a common learning issue that is a lifelong condition meaning that kids don’t outgrow dyslexia, but with the right support, key skills can improve.
There are many successful adults that have it
Researchers have been studying it for over a century.
What Dyslexia is Not
The International Dyslexia Association states:
A problem of intelligence. Individuals with dyslexia are just as smart as their peers.
A problem of vision. The core issue involves understanding how the sounds in words are represented by letters.
A problem of laziness. Kids with dyslexia are already trying hard. They need more help to make progress.
A problem that can be outgrown
Rare, in the United States dyslexia impacts 20% of our population
Dyslexics do not see letters backwards.
Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders with Dyslexia
G. Chris Anderson —
vice-chairman of PaineWebberTerri Bowersock —
entrepreneurRichard Branson —
founder, Virgin Corporation (airline, music)John Chambers —
CEO, Cisco SystemsBarbara Corcoran —
businessWilliam Doyle —
chairman, William Doyle Auction Galleries of New YorkFred Friendly —
former CBS News presidentMalcolm Goodridge III —
senior vice president, American ExpressBill Hewlett —
co-founder of HPJo Malone —
CEO of Jo Malone Fragrances of LondonCraig McCaw —
McCaw CellularDavid Murdock —
CEO, Dole FoodsPaul J. Orfalea —
founder and chairman, Kinko's copy shopsEvan Paul —
college student and entrepreneurHorst Rechelbacher —
Founder of Aveda CorporationCharles Schwab
Tommy Spaulding —
CEO of Up With PeopleRichard C. Strauss —
real-estate financierDiane Swonk —
Bank OneMark Torrance —
CEO, Musak CorporationRussell Varian
Weyerhauser family
Donald Winkler —
CEO of Ford Motor CreditWilliam Wrigley, Jr.
Ingvar Kamprad —
founder of IKEA
Other Resources
Choose strength not shame: Ben Foss at TEDxSonomaCounty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs93inbQPU0
Adults with Dyslexia https://vimeo.com/294833621
How Cisco's Former CEO Turned A Secret 'Disability' Into His Greatest Strength https://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2018/12/13/how-ciscos-former-ceo-turned-a-secret-disability-into-his-greatest-strength/#2911df8763ac
International Dyslexia Association www.interdys.org
Bright Solutions for Dyslexia https://www.dys-add.com/index.html
Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity www.dyslexia.yale.edu/dyslexiastraighttalk.html