Dyslexia download
What is Dyslexia Download?
Dyslexia Download is a monthly online peer support forum for adult and youth dyslexics. Our panellists answer your questions and provide expert unbiased advice in a safe, friendly environment. There are no geographical boundaries here. You can join from anywhere in the country from the comfort of your home!
Support persons are welcome to sit with you throughout the meeting, and if you would rather attend incognito without name or camera on, feel free!
Meetings are held on the third Monday of every month at 7pm and take approximately 45 minutes. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for reminders about upcoming meetings.
Support persons are welcome to sit with you throughout the meeting, and if you would rather attend incognito without name or camera on, feel free!
Meetings are held on the third Monday of every month at 7pm and take approximately 45 minutes. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for reminders about upcoming meetings.
Join via Zoom
The meeting ID and passcode stay the same each month and are advertised on our facebook page or click below.
If you have a question you would like to ask in advance, or a topic you would like the panellists and the attendees to discuss, you can email it to [email protected] Or if you would prefer to submit your question by phone, you can call 027 201 6951.
Our Panellists
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Chris Cole
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Sally Chesterfield
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Chris Cole is the Learning Differences Advisor for the Learning Differences Aotearoa Trust, and also has her own business, Unique Minds. In 2010, with two others, she founded ‘Learning with Difficulties”, now known as Dyslexia Support South. A trained life coach, she enjoys working with dyslexics and other neurodiverse adults to help them succeed in their goals, by being themselves.
She has a Bachelor of Commerce and worked as an accountant before retraining to work in the neurodiversity sector, specialising in dyslexia. In her mid-forties, and working in the sector, Chris was in the process of getting her two sons formally assessed for dyslexia, when she realised she too was dyslexic. It was a gradual awareness and she found that she could really connect with people who were neurodiverse and she understood what they were experiencing.
One of Chris’s many strengths, is pulling people together to achieve goals and projects, once she understands the big picture she is able to easily simplify the message and make it more accessible for others.
Her dyslexic coping strategy is perfectionism. She works harder and longer to achieve results and it is really tiring. This means that she has a lot of shame when she is not able to do things easily and to a very high standard. She struggles to pronounce words easily and gets very anxious about saying words, especially names the wrong way.
Her strategies to help manage this include; taking a pause to remember to look at achievements, with a more realistic point of view. Embracing and owning her different way of thinking as a strength, and the diversity it brings to whatever project she is involved in. This has really developed through peer support and being involved in the Southland Adult Dyslexia Support Group. Using Google and You Tube to find out how to say words and practising a lot has helped take away some of the anxiety of word pronunciation.
If she could go back in time, she wishes that she had known the way she thought about things was normal and okay, and that someone had highlighted the strengths of how she thought and processed information, this would have taken so much angst out of those earlier years.
Chris is a self-confessed sports nut, she loves watching lots of different sports and enjoys being active, running, biking and doing hot yoga.
She defines success as feeling strong enough to be authentic and honest about yourself, no matter what situation you are in.
She has a Bachelor of Commerce and worked as an accountant before retraining to work in the neurodiversity sector, specialising in dyslexia. In her mid-forties, and working in the sector, Chris was in the process of getting her two sons formally assessed for dyslexia, when she realised she too was dyslexic. It was a gradual awareness and she found that she could really connect with people who were neurodiverse and she understood what they were experiencing.
One of Chris’s many strengths, is pulling people together to achieve goals and projects, once she understands the big picture she is able to easily simplify the message and make it more accessible for others.
Her dyslexic coping strategy is perfectionism. She works harder and longer to achieve results and it is really tiring. This means that she has a lot of shame when she is not able to do things easily and to a very high standard. She struggles to pronounce words easily and gets very anxious about saying words, especially names the wrong way.
Her strategies to help manage this include; taking a pause to remember to look at achievements, with a more realistic point of view. Embracing and owning her different way of thinking as a strength, and the diversity it brings to whatever project she is involved in. This has really developed through peer support and being involved in the Southland Adult Dyslexia Support Group. Using Google and You Tube to find out how to say words and practising a lot has helped take away some of the anxiety of word pronunciation.
If she could go back in time, she wishes that she had known the way she thought about things was normal and okay, and that someone had highlighted the strengths of how she thought and processed information, this would have taken so much angst out of those earlier years.
Chris is a self-confessed sports nut, she loves watching lots of different sports and enjoys being active, running, biking and doing hot yoga.
She defines success as feeling strong enough to be authentic and honest about yourself, no matter what situation you are in.
Sally Chesterfield has had a varied career, from working in a call centre, as a rafting guide, working on ships and in the conservation field. Sally was formally assessed as dyslexic when she was 8 years old and this helped her parents to understand how they could help her with her learning and schooling.
As an adult her passion lay in the natural environment and living and working for the Department of Conservation on Mana Island gave her exposure to a lot of different conservation work. It was here she realised that to progress her career she needed to further her education.
Still coming to terms with her dyslexia, she didn’t believe that she could go back to study, so she took on several more conservation jobs before mustering the courage to take the next step.
She enrolled in the Bachelor of Environmental Studies course at the Southern Institute of Technology and shifted to Invercargill. It was a period where she learned her limitations but also her strengths, this challenge gave her the belief that she could achieve things, that she’s okay and has things to offer.
Whilst finishing her studies, she was offered a role setting up a programme to protect an internationally significant wetland. It was here that her dyslexic skills came to the forefront. The ability for big picture thinking helped her to understand all the issues and organisations involved in the health of the wetland. Her ability to bring people from different backgrounds together, and find the common ground helped focus aspects of the project. Her ability to enthuse and harness people’s passion and generate interest raised the profile of the wetland and issues it faced, but at the heart of it all was people.
With hindsight she realised she was working more in community engagement than conservation. She could do all the conservation work she wanted, but unless she bought the organisations and communities on the journey it wouldn’t count for much.
This realisation allowed her to move into her current role, working with communities in the wildfire space. Helping communities and individuals understand wildfire, their risk and how they could reduce it.
Sally has found that people’s misconceptions around dyslexia are one of the biggest challenges. Explaining what it is for her, and using both the negative and positive aspects and being clear on what she really needs has helped her overcome this.
A piece of advice she would have given to her younger self, or someone who maybe struggling now is ‘you are a good person, and the struggles you face today, will make you a more resilient and well-rounded adult’.
Measuring success for Sally is happiness and enjoyment, wanting to get up in the morning and feeling like she has things worth doing. Making time for herself is important and she has been focusing on her own wellbeing.
One of Sally’s favourite quotes is;
“The thing that was holding me back at the start, was the thing that pushed me over the finish line.” – Ryan McNamee, student in Synthetic Chemistry, Oxford University.
As an adult her passion lay in the natural environment and living and working for the Department of Conservation on Mana Island gave her exposure to a lot of different conservation work. It was here she realised that to progress her career she needed to further her education.
Still coming to terms with her dyslexia, she didn’t believe that she could go back to study, so she took on several more conservation jobs before mustering the courage to take the next step.
She enrolled in the Bachelor of Environmental Studies course at the Southern Institute of Technology and shifted to Invercargill. It was a period where she learned her limitations but also her strengths, this challenge gave her the belief that she could achieve things, that she’s okay and has things to offer.
Whilst finishing her studies, she was offered a role setting up a programme to protect an internationally significant wetland. It was here that her dyslexic skills came to the forefront. The ability for big picture thinking helped her to understand all the issues and organisations involved in the health of the wetland. Her ability to bring people from different backgrounds together, and find the common ground helped focus aspects of the project. Her ability to enthuse and harness people’s passion and generate interest raised the profile of the wetland and issues it faced, but at the heart of it all was people.
With hindsight she realised she was working more in community engagement than conservation. She could do all the conservation work she wanted, but unless she bought the organisations and communities on the journey it wouldn’t count for much.
This realisation allowed her to move into her current role, working with communities in the wildfire space. Helping communities and individuals understand wildfire, their risk and how they could reduce it.
Sally has found that people’s misconceptions around dyslexia are one of the biggest challenges. Explaining what it is for her, and using both the negative and positive aspects and being clear on what she really needs has helped her overcome this.
A piece of advice she would have given to her younger self, or someone who maybe struggling now is ‘you are a good person, and the struggles you face today, will make you a more resilient and well-rounded adult’.
Measuring success for Sally is happiness and enjoyment, wanting to get up in the morning and feeling like she has things worth doing. Making time for herself is important and she has been focusing on her own wellbeing.
One of Sally’s favourite quotes is;
“The thing that was holding me back at the start, was the thing that pushed me over the finish line.” – Ryan McNamee, student in Synthetic Chemistry, Oxford University.
Dyspraxia Dyscussions Aotearoa
What is Dyspraxia Dyscussions Aotearoa?
Dyspraxia Dyscussionss Aotearoa is a monthly online support forum for parents of children with DCD/Dyspraxia. It is held on the third Wednesday of each month at 7pm and is run by Jacqui Scott, CEO of the Dyspraxia Support Group of New Zealand. Meetings are advertised on their facebook page and can be found on Eventbrite.
Adult Dyscalculia Support
If you struggle with numbers and maths and would like advice and support, email Kate - [email protected]