--- title: What it took for a dyslexic kid like me to love books description: Blogger Ben Foss talks about how loving books is about enjoying words, not necessarily about reading them. slug: what-it-took-for-a-dyslexic-kid-like-me-to-love-books author: Ben Foss, JD/MBA published: '2019-10-16T12:12:42.135Z' thumbnail: https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/0993CFE656B0443E9AE900370DADC9DB/5366e72487b8b5421c90672171eb813e/76721416.jpg source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-it-took-for-a-dyslexic-kid-like-me-to-love-books lang: en --- # What it took for a dyslexic kid like me to love books For me and others with dyslexia, reading is like having a bad cell phone connection to what’s on a printed page. Information drops out. I can’t access the content. But when I listen to a book on tape or on a talking computer, it’s like having a landline. I connect just fine and most everything is clear. Think of it like this: Mainstream readers “eye read.” People who are blind use Braille and “finger read.” I “ear read.” When I was a kid, I desperately wanted to understand the joy of reading. This desire quickly turned into a deep [sense of shame](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/make-dyslexia-about-strengths-not-shame). I assumed my slow “eye reading” must have been my fault. I blamed myself for not trying hard enough. I did my best to pretend I wasn’t struggling. I wanted everyone to think I was “well read.” I even won a local bookmark-making contest! But all of my energy was spent hiding who I really was. In spite of my challenges, I managed to do pretty well in school. Eventually, I ended up studying law at Stanford University. It was there that I started using services like Bookshare and Learning Ally. These services allowed me to get audio versions of books I needed to read. This was a big change. Finally, I could devote all of my energy to *what* I was reading instead of *how* I was reading. My experience was so inspiring, I went on to work as the director of access technology at the Intel Corporation. There I invented a product called the Intel Reader. This product could take a photograph of any printed material and then read it aloud on the spot. The response was very positive. I saw that fancy technology could be hugely helpful for people with dyslexia. Still, it couldn’t get rid of the loneliness that comes with being shut out of books. Or the shame of struggling to read a menu. I realized that in order to address the emotional challenges of struggling to read books, I had to *write* one. I used all the skills I’d mastered, including talking to a computer and having it write down what I say. I produced a 300-page book [published by Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/222553/the-dyslexia-empowerment-plan-by-ben-foss/). My wonderful parents helped me through a very tough time when I was young. I wrote this book to help other parents help their kids. As an adult, it’s strangely thrilling to see your name over the door to a fancy building that you were barred entry to as a kid. I feel that way about having my name on a book that I’ve written. I want to welcome parents in, so their kids with dyslexia won’t get turned away from the joy of reading. If we all work together to build ramps and ease access—rather than blame children for not measuring up—we can help them walk confidently into the world of words and even learn to love them. --- ## Explore related topics and articles - [Make dyslexia about strengths, not shame](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/make-dyslexia-about-strengths-not-shame) - Let me introduce myself: My name is Ben Foss, and I am dyslexic. When I was a kid, my mother read out loud to me. When I went to college, Id fax my term papers home to her in New Hampshire so she could read them to me over the phone and help me find spelling mistakes. I know what its like to feel lo - [Why I’m open about my daughter’s dyslexia](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/why-im-open-about-my-daughters-dyslexia) - There are many supports and accommodations for kids with learning and thinking differences. But I know a lot of parents who dont ask for help. The reason: They dont want others to know their child has a learning difference. I understand these concerns. I might have felt the same way when I learned t - [Play to your child’s strengths, says Ben Foss, author with dyslexia](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/play-to-your-strengths-says-ben-foss-author-with-dyslexia) - Ben Foss is a dyslexia advocate and the founder of Headstrong Nation, an organization dedicated to empowering adults with dyslexia. He also has dyslexia and led the technology team that created the Intel Reader, a device that takes photos of text and reads it aloud. In 2013, Ben wrote The Dyslexia E --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-it-took-for-a-dyslexic-kid-like-me-to-love-books#webpage","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-it-took-for-a-dyslexic-kid-like-me-to-love-books","description":"Blogger Ben Foss talks about how loving books is about enjoying words, not necessarily about reading them."},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-it-took-for-a-dyslexic-kid-like-me-to-love-books","name":"What it took for a dyslexic kid like me to love books"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","datePublished":"2019-10-16T12:12:42.135Z","description":"Blogger Ben Foss talks about how loving books is about enjoying words, not necessarily about reading them.","headline":"What it took for a dyslexic kid like me to love books","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-it-took-for-a-dyslexic-kid-like-me-to-love-books","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.understood.org/#organization","name":"Understood for All Inc","logo":"https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/307jFAYQevghG8nQMCjh89/ccdbbec895765824db43f6d30b496e83/logo_lockup_navy.jpg"}}] ```