FOr AS LOng AS I CAn REmember, WOrds HAve BEen JUmbled UP FOr ME. LEtters MOved ARound ON THe PAge, SEntences FEll APart HAlfway THrough, ANd REading FElt LIke TRying TO CAtch SOmething THat KEpt RUnning AWay. I HAve DYslexia, ANd FOr A LOng TIme I THought THat MEant THere WEre THings I JUst COuldn't DO.
BUt HEre's WHat I've LEarned: DYslexia CHanges HOw YOu GEt SOmewhere, NOt WHether YOu GEt THere.
AT 16, I STarted MY PLumbing APprenticeship. IT's SOmething I'm REally PRoud OF. I LOve WOrking WIth MY HAnds, SOlving PRoblems ANd HElping PEople. BUt REading NEver STops BEing PArt OF LIfe. THere ARe MAnuals, SAfety NOtes, COllege WOrk ANd MEssages FRom CUstomers. I WAnted SOmething THat MAde ALl OF THat A LIttle EAsier.
SO MY DAd ANd I SAt DOwn TOgether ANd BUilt HEadStart REader.
THe IDea IS SImple. IT TUrns THe FIrst TWo LEtters OF EVery WOrd BOld, SO YOur EYes GEt A HEad STart. FOr ME, THat SMall ANchor AT THe STart OF EAch WOrd MAkes A BIg DIfference. THe WOrds STay STill LOng ENough FOr ME TO REad THem, ANd I'm NOt AS TIred AT THe ENd OF A PAge.
WE BUilt IT FOr ME, BUt WE QUickly REalised IT ISn't JUst MY STory. MIllions OF PEople STruggle WIth REading EVery DAy. MAny OF THem HAve BEen MAde TO FEel SLow, OR LEss CApable, OR LIke THeir DReams BElong TO SOmeone ELse. THat's NOt TRue, ANd WE WAnt TO HElp PRove IT.
OUr GOal AS FAther ANd SOn IS TO PUt HEadStart REader IN THe HAnds OF AS MAny PEople AS WE CAn. THat MEans STudents, APprentices, ADults REturning TO LEarning, ANd ANyone WHo HAs EVer STared AT A PAge ANd FElt IT WOrking AGainst THem. REading SHouldn't BE THe THing STanding BEtween YOu ANd WHat YOu WAnt TO DO WIth YOur LIfe.
I'm NOt WHere I AM BEcause REading GOt EAsy. I'm HEre BEcause I KEpt GOing, ANd BEcause I HAd PEople WHo BElieved IN ME. WE HOpe HEadStart REader CAn BE ONe OF THose THings IN YOur COrner TOo.
WHatever YOur DReam IS, GO FOr IT. WE'll HElp WIth THe WOrds.
Jack & Dad
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