>>>
>>> GROWING UP IS ALREADY FULL OF CHALLENGES, BUT WHEN YOU HAD
A LEARNING DISABILITY THAT HIS
UNDIAGNOSED ON TOP OF ALL OF
THAT IT CAN BE A REAL CHALLENGE
TO GET THROUGH LIFE.
A NEW BOOK OUT CALLED DYSLEXIC,
MY JOURNEY SHARES ONE MAN'S A
STORY ABOUT OVERCOMING AND NOW
HELPING OTHERS.
HELPING OTHERS. AUTHOR MICHAEL BALZANO JOINS ME
NOW.
NOW.
NOW. IT
NOW. IT IS AN HONOR TO MEET YOU.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> THIS BOOK IS JUST, I TOLD
YOU I CRIED THROUGH A LOT OF IT
. I WONDER IF YOU CAN, IF THERE
IS ANY WAY YOU CAN DESCRIBE THE
WAY DYSLEXIA AFFECTED YOU AS A
SMALL CHILD?
SMALL CHILD? WHAT YOU WENT THROUGH?
>> THE BOOK TALKS ABOUT
PRACTICALLY TWO DIFFERENT
PEOPLE PICK ONE CHILD WHO
FAILED AT EVERYTHING HE EVER
DID.
DID.
DID. AND
DID. AND THEN AN ADULT WHO
SUCCEEDED.
SUCCEEDED. >> HE HAS A PHD FROM
GEORGETOWN.
GEORGETOWN. THINGS DIDN'T START OUT THAT
WAY.
WAY.
WAY. >>
WAY. >> THE CHILD WAS, HE DIDN'T
PLAY WITH OTHER CHILDREN.
HE PLAYED WITH GUNS, KNIVES,
AND FIRE, AND ACTUALLY BURNED
DOWN A GARAGE ACCIDENTALLY.
BUT, WHAT HAPPENED THERE WAS I
WAS A LONER.
IN THE 1930S AND 40s NO ONE KNEW
THE SYMPTOMS.
THE SYMPTOMS. WHAT HAPPENED WITH ME IS I LEFT
SCHOOL IN THE NINTH GRADE.
ACTUALLY, I WAS THROWN OUT OF
TWO SCHOOLS BEFORE I GOT TO THE
THIRD GRADE.
THIRD GRADE. I LEFT SCHOOL IN THE NINTH
GRADE AND WENT TO A JOB A WEEK
AND BECAME A GARBAGE COLLECTOR.
THAT SAID, I HURT MY BACK AS A
GARBAGE COLLECTOR.
GARBAGE COLLECTOR. COULDN'T LIFT THE CANS.
I WAS DECLARED PHYSICALLY
UNABLE, DYSLEXIC, THE WHOLE
BIT.
BIT.
BIT. I
BIT. I STARTED AN OPTICAL
APPRENTICESHIP.
APPRENTICESHIP. I LEARNED HOW TO GRIND LENSES.
SLOWLY, BUT SURELY I BECAME AN
OPTICIAN AND RAN AN OPTICAL
COMPANY.
COMPANY.
COMPANY. AND THEN I STARTED COLLEGE.
I WILL GRADUATED MAGNA LAUDE
AND GOT A FULL SCHOLARSHIP TO
GEORGETOWN.
GEORGETOWN. WHEN I GRADUATED THE
UNIVERSITY RAN A STORY THAT RAN
IN THE NEWSPAPERS, GARBAGEMAN
GETS DOCTORS DEGREE.
RICHARD NIXON READ THIS STORY
AND SUDDENLY I WIND UP BEING
THE THIRD HIGHEST RANKING
DEMOCRAT IN THE NIXON WHITE
HOUSE.
HOUSE.
HOUSE. >>
HOUSE. >> HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?
>> HE WAS INTERESTED IN
WORKFORCE COMMUNICATIONS, WHICH
IS WHAT I DO.
I HAVE BEEN DOING THAT FOR 45
YEARS NOW.
YEARS NOW. THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT
THAT PART OF IT WAS, WORKING
WITH PEOPLE ALL THE TIME YOU
GET TO UNDERSTAND EVERYBODY'S
DIALECTS, EVERYBODY'S NEEDS.
OKAY?
OKAY?
OKAY? WHAT HAPPENED WAS, BASICALLY,
HE NOMINATED ME TO BE THE
DIRECTOR OF THE PEACE CORPS.
AND I WAS UNANIMOUSLY CONFIRMED
BY THE UNITED STATES SENATE.
>> DID YOU EVER LOOK AROUND AND
GO WHAT HAPPENED HERE?
>> RIGHT. THAT'S WHEN PEOPLE
KEPT COMING TO ME.
I SPEAK IN PUBLIC A LOT.
PEOPLE CONSTANTLY ASK HOW DID
YOU GET FROM WHERE YOU WERE
FROM WHERE YOU STARTED?
I TELL THEM THE FIRST THING WAS
THE BEGINNING OF IT ALL, THE
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM. THIS BOOK IS WRITTEN TO PROVIDE
HELP AND HOPE FOR PARENTS WITH
LEARNING DISABLED CHILDREN.
THEY FALL INTO TWO CATEGORIES.
THEY FALL INTO THE CAVE THROUGH
FOURTH GRADE. IF YOU DON'T
CATCH IT THERE YOU HAVE A REAL
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. FOR THOSE PEOPLE I HAVE AN
APPENDIX IN THE BACK OF THAT
BOOK THAT FOCUSES ON ALL OF THE
SYMPTOMS SO YOU CAN READ THEM
FROM NIH, THE MAYO CLINIC, YOU
HAVE ALL THAT.
>> YOU ARE ARMED WITH THAT
INFO.
INFO.
INFO. >>
INFO. >> THAT'S RIGHT.
THE BOOK IS CHUCK FILLED WITH
INFORMATION.
INFORMATION. THE SECOND THING IS IT DEALS
WITH THE YOUNG KIDS WHO, RIGHT
NOW THE WHOLE WORLD IS TRYING
TO GET EVERYBODY INTO COLLEGE.
YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T NEED A
COLLEGE DEGREE TO CAPTURE THE
AMERICAN DREAM.
AMERICAN DREAM. I HAD IT WHEN I WAS AN
OPTICIAN.
OPTICIAN.
OPTICIAN. I JUST DECIDED I WANTED TO
STUDY HISTORY.
STUDY HISTORY. WHAT HAPPENS IS THIS BOOK TRIES
TO HELP PEOPLE, PARENTS
ESPECIALLY, HELP THEM UNDERSTAND
THAT THIS CHILD MAY NOT BE
READY FOR COLLEGE RIGHT NOW.
THERE MAY BE OTHER THINGS HE OR
SHE NEEDS TO PULL THEMSELVES
TOGETHER AND FIND OUT WHERE
THEY WANT TO GO.
>> TO TRANSITION.
>> CORRECT.
>> CORRECT. >> IF WE BACK UP IT OPENED AT
THE HORIZON A LITTLE BIT AND WE
CAN SEE SOME OF THOSE
POSSIBILITIES.
POSSIBILITIES. >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. >> I WANT TO READ THIS ONE
THING FROM YOU BEING A CHILD
THAT JUST GOT ME.
YOU RIGHT FROM KINDERGARTEN ON
I WAS A PROBLEM.
I DISRUPTED OTHER STUDENTS,
LAUGHING AND JOKING AND
FIGHTING WITH THE OTHER BOYS.
I WAS SPANKED CONSTANTLY.
WHEN SPANKING DID HELP I WAS
FORCED TO SIT QUIETLY IN THE
FRONT OF THE ROOM WEARING A
GIRL STRESS AND A BOW CLIPPED
TO MY HAIR.
THIS DID NOT HAVE THE DESIRED
EFFECT OF EMBARRASSING ME.
I WAS HORRIFIED.
THAT IS ABUSE.
YOU LAUGH NOW DR. RAMANPREET
TOOR
TOOR
TOOR >>
TOOR >> IN THOSE DAYS, YOU KNOW
>> IT NEEDS TO TEACH US
SOMETHING ABOUT THE WAY THAT WE
VIEW DIFFERENCES IN DISABILITIES
AND WHERE WE HAVE COME FROM AND
WHERE WE NEED TO GO PICTURE ME.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. EVEN WHEN THEY THREW ME OUT OF
THE SCHOOL THE NUNS REALLY LIKE
ME AS A PERSON.
THEY ARE ACADEMIC STANDARDS
WERE SO STRICT THEY SAID YOU
REALLY BELONG IN THE PUBLIC
SCHOOL NOT HERE.
THE WENT TO A PUBLIC SCHOOL AND
I BOMBED OUT THERE.
THEN I WENT TO ANOTHER PUBLIC
SCHOOL WHERE YOU COULD DO
ANYTHING YOU WANT THERE.
>> YOU SAW LETTERS TRANSPOSED.
>> OH, YEAH.
>> YOU SAW THEM THAT WAY AND
THERE IS NO WAY AROUND THAT.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. I'M STILL DYSLEXIC. I CANNOT
READ OUT LOUD.
YOU CANNOT READ OUT LOUD IF
YOU'RE DYSLEXIC.
YOU'RE DYSLEXIC. YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT EVERYWHERE.
THERE IS NO EMOTION IN YOUR
READING.
READING.
READING. ISSUES JUMP, JUMP, BACK AND
FORTH.
FORTH.
FORTH. WORDS TRANSFER.
WORDS TRANSFER. LETTERS TRANSFER.
LETTERS TRANSFER. NOT A LOT OF PHONE NUMBERS I
DIAL ARE WRONG, I CANNOT SEE
THEM.
THEM.
THEM. THE
THEM. THE NUMBERS ARE CONSTANTLY
SWITCHING ON ME.
SEX BE DIAL IS YOUR FRIEND.
>> YOU CAN OVERCOME ANYTHING IF
YOU GO SLOW.
I HAVE A PHD IN POLITICAL
THEORY.
THEORY.
THEORY. YOU WILL LEARN BY GOING VERY
SLOWLY AND READING EVERY SINGLE
WORD.
WORD.
WORD. THAT'S THE WAY I OVERCAME THIS
THING.
THING.
THING. >>
THING. >> I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS ABOUT
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. THERE'S AN AMAZING AMOUNT OF
RESILIENCY.
RESILIENCY. YOU ARE GETTING THESE MESSAGES
CONSTANTLY AS A KID, NO,
FAILURE, OUT OF FEAR. SOMEHOW
INSIDE YOU YOU HAVE THE
CONFIDENCE TO SAY I'M GOING TO
KEEP DOING THINGS EVEN AFTER I
MENTORED FROM THIS JOB.
I'M GOING TO KEEP ONGOING.
I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THAT.
AM ALSO CURIOUS HOW THAT
TRANSFERS INTO THE MESSAGE YOU
HAVE THE FOR PARENTS, SO WE CAN
KIND OF THINK I KNEW ABOUT
DIFFERENTLY ABLED PEOPLE.
>> THE THING THAT TURNED MY
LIFE AROUND WAS THE
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM. IT'S TAUGHT ME HOW TO WORK WITH
OTHER PEOPLE. IT'S GAVE ME
PRIDE IN WHAT I WAS DOING.
SELF-CONFIDENCE. AND FOLLOWING
DIRECTIONS.
DIRECTIONS. YOU WILL MEASURE TWICE AND CUT
ONCE.
ONCE.
ONCE. U
ONCE. U WILL DO WHAT I TELL YOU TO
DO.
DO.
DO. SLOWLY, BUT SURELY YOU GO
THROUGH THE ROUTINE AND
SUDDENLY YOU HAVE PRIDE IN
YOURSELF.
YOURSELF.
YOURSELF. THE OTHER THING, FOR ME, WAS AN
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM IS
EARNED WHILE YOU LEARN.
I DIDN'T HAVE TO SPEND TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS
>> TO GO TO SCHOOL WHERE
READING WAS THE CENTRAL
ACTIVITY.
ACTIVITY.
ACTIVITY. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. IT PREPARED ME TO LEARN TO READ
SLOWLY, CAREFULLY, AND, SLOWLY
BUT SURELY, I WAS ABLE TO READ
VERY INTRICATE PASSAGES AND
UNDERSTAND THEM.
UNDERSTAND THEM. WHAT HAPPENS IS THERE ARE TO
DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
DIFFERENT PEOPLE. ONE PERSON WAS ALWAYS VIEWED AS
SIX EXCESS AND THE OTHER WAS
ALWAYS VIEWED AS THE FAILURE.
THERE IS THAT BRIDGE THAT YOU
HAVE TO CROSS.
IT'S VERY HARD TO DO, BECAUSE
IT'S VERY EASY TO BE A FAILURE.
IT'S A COMFORTABLE PLACE TO BE.
YOU ARE NOT CHALLENGED.
YOU ARE JUST LEFT IT THERE.
WHEN SHE BEGAN TO TRY TO
IMPROVE YOURSELF NOW YOU ARE
CHALLENGED AND IF YOU FALL IT
HURTS. THOSE ARE THE THINGS
PARENTS HAVE TO UNDERSTAND.
THE OTHER THING IS EVERYBODY
WANTS THEIR KID TO GET A
COLLEGE DEGREE.
COLLEGE DEGREE. THAT MAY NOT BE WHAT THEY NEED
NOW.
NOW.
NOW. WHAT
NOW. WHAT THEY NEED NOW IS ENOUGH
DISCIPLINE TO FIND OUT WHERE
THEY REALLY WANT TO GO.
>> AND TO BUILD THAT BRIDGE.
>> ANTREVILLE THAT BRIDGE
THEMSELVES.
THEMSELVES. >>