I like student as a term. It comes from studere, which means to be eager. I liked casting myself as an amateur student (in conscious contrast to "professional student", a common derogatory phrase from my youth) -- one who loves to be eager.
Don't call it dyslexia then - call it anything you like, but give her a challenge.Um, speaking as a dyslexic person, thats not how dyslexia works. The fact that we have trouble reading and writing doesn't mean we can't pronounce or write things correctly. Reading and writing just takes more time. So no, that won't work as a concept.
Don't call it dyslexia then - call it anything you like, but give her a challenge.
Really? So what exactly is my attitude, given I deliberately avoided the word disability.Yeah... ... ... I don't reccomend taking this attitude as a writer when it comes to disabilities.
As a dyslexic, I wanted to avoid this discussion because it risks getting out of hand really fast.Really? So what exactly is my attitude, given I deliberately avoided the word disability.
Really? So what exactly is my attitude, given I deliberately avoided the word disability.
Write it from a different POV.
Somebody for the love of God write one of these "wizard academy" stories from a teacher's POV. Imagine the teachers' lounge at a wizard academy. Imagine the parent-teacher conferences. Imagine grading homework.
Someone please write about a teacher of sorcery who has to keep getting her idiot students out of trouble. Show me all the conversations involving the word "frankly" when the headmaster discovers one of this teacher's students is The Chosen One and she's like, "hey, that's great, but I have twenty-nine other kids to worry about, so . . ." and all of them make our concepts of "gifted" and "special needs" look like child's play. Someone please write that. I'd buy it.
I nominate you to write this.
Right, I'm going to call you out again.Okay, so when you guys have finished judging me, you might note that my original suggestion (in a bit of fun) was about creating a character beyond the usual mainstream tropes. After being called out on dyslexia (which is fine Mad Swede) I then suggested that you give the character any sort of challenging situation that causes accidental carnage. I so specifically avoided the word disability after MS's post.
I very rarely say anything about myself on these forums but FYI, I'm a lawyer who has worked in disability for years, and understand very keenly (and have advocated on) these issues. For what it's worth the zeal of some people wanting only the best outcomes for those who need consideration can come across as unattractive passive aggression sometimes.
This thread was clearly started in a spirit of fun. Can we try to keep it that way?
If you're using a real disability, like dyslexia... or dyspraxia, autism, ADD/HD, blindness, deafness... don't make it the challenge the character faces. Make it a part of who they are. Perhaps it gets them discriminated against, but that's not a challenge. That's living with discrimination. The challenge is when they go out and slay the dragon, while having that disability and dealing with the discrimination.Having a disability be just a challenge to toss a characters way like it's a hurdle in a race or a dragon to slay.
Technically not using the word disability doesn't buy you much when you suggest not!dyslexia.
Right, I'm going to call you out again.
If you're a lawyer who has advocated for and worked on disability issues then you ought to know much better than to joke about other peoples disabilities. It isn't OK, especially not in a public forum this. After all, you wouldn't have joked or suggested something similar on the basis of a persons skin colour or gender. Would you? So why did you think it was OK to joke about someone's disability?
Don't call it dyslexia then - call it anything you like, but give her a challenge.