I have a non-verbal learning disability. This means that I struggle with visual-spacial relationships, my working memory and processing speed are slower than most people’s, and I have I hard time with some math concepts. But the part of my disability that affects me the most is having problems with visual-spacial relationships, because this makes driving very hard for me. If I have to drive to a place I’ve never been to, even if it’s not that far from me, my mom has to ride with me so she can tell me where to go and help me at difficult intersections. This can be very frustrating because I have my full license, yet I can’t drive as many places as most people my age. However, with time and practice, driving has gotten easier. The more I drive, the better I get at it, and my parents got me a GPS for my birthday, so I don’t have to rely on my mom as much when I go somewhere I ‘ve never been. In fact, I’ve come so far with driving that I was able to drive myself and my younger sister to my grandma’s house in Lake Hartwell, mostly by myself. My mom rode with me part of the way there, and my grandma rode with me part of the way back, and I used my GPS, but I was able to drive by myself with confidence. I have not let my learning disability completely define what I can do.

  So I challenge you, don’t let your learning disability completely define you. Know that you are so much more than that, and let this inspire you to become better at the one thing your learning disability makes most difficult. For me, it was driving, and for you, it may be something else, but do whatever you can to make yourself better at that particular skill. Practice it, and enlist the help of friends and family to help you and encourage you in your goal. Be persistent, and you’ll surprise yourself by how much you are capable of, and how you are so much more than the label of a learning disability.