Her LD story:

At the tender age of 6, I knew something was wrong with me. All my other friends could add and subtract numbers, a concept which seemed so foreign to me. I struggled to connect socially, I wanted to make friends, but I didn’t know how. Simple concepts that most children learn naturally like learning how to ride a bike, putting together a puzzle, skating, and tying my shoes were too complex to understand.

Both learning disabilities and pedagogy go hand in hand. I was held back and repeated grade 3, as an intervention because my teacher at the time “didn’t know how to teach me and I was too far behind compared to the normal kids”. This was hard to hear and understand at this age. In grade 4, I switched to a school that was a 45-minute bus ride away to receive the support I needed. This was a confusing concept as a kid, as I had to leave my friend circle behind at the time.

The key concepts and themes growing up with a learning disability were “otherness”, “different,” “stupid,” “segregation,” “normalize” and “isolation”.

Disability is a slippery slope of inadequacy, stigma, judgment, and oppression. Having NVLD created paper trails of assessments, accommodations, and modifications. It created barriers and gaps between where I was going, and what I needed to get there. I had to work twice as hard to prove I was worthy and capable.

Where others found weaknesses, I found my strengths. I was continually caught between the battle of “I can’t” and “I can.” I believe we are all born with gifts, and having a brain that’s wired a little more differently has been a blessing in disguise.

As I reflect on my childhood, I think of my younger self, a little girl begging to be understood, begging for someone to tell her that her difference is what made her beautiful and that better things were ahead.

I created Beautiful Minds for all the other kiddos in this world who were told “they would never accomplish anything” because of their learning disability. I did this for the kids who settle on mediocre expectations because they're told they can’t. I did this for the kids who haven’t yet realized their own potential.

I chose to become a disability activist as I want to embrace my disability and construct a new dimension to humanity which moves beyond the label. I want to guide others out of their own darkness and illuminate a pathway of change. I am not defined by my disability, and my experiences have led me on a journey to cultivate change.