19/05/2026
How Dyslexia Gave Me the Purpose to Build a Business That Helps Dyslexic Students Enjoy Learning to Read and Spelling
I was fortunate to be diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age and to receive strong support at both school and home. Nevertheless, school was very challenging. I was placed in the bottom set for most of my classes and constantly feared being asked to read aloud. It was difficult watching my classmates complete tasks effortlessly while I struggled to read and understand assignments. The school system often rewards skills like reading, spelling, and memorization, while many strengths associated with dyslexia such as: problem-solving, 3D thinking, and creativity—are rarely recognized or rewarded.
It’s easy for students with dyslexia to build resentment due to these daily struggles. Many dyslexic students either become quiet or disruptive in class. I was one of the quiet ones, always hoping teachers wouldn’t ask me questions or call on me to read. While dyslexia is often associated with difficulties in reading and spelling, a less discussed challenge is reading comprehension. Even when I managed to get through a text, I often struggled to understand and respond to questions about it. These constant challenges affected my confidence. People often say that individuals with dyslexia have high levels of resilience, and I believe this comes from having to push through daily academic and mental struggles. School can feel like a mental bootcamp when every lesson requires extra effort just to keep up.
Despite the challenges, I didn’t want to fail. My predicted GCSE grades were Cs and Ds. At 16, I studied intensely, and in my downtime, I watched World War II documentaries to support my history learning. After months of hard work, I achieved 3 As, 4 Bs, and several Cs, and I was awarded Student of the Year for improving my grades far beyond expectations. This was the first time I realized that persistence and effort could compensate for my difficulties with reading and spelling.
Before receiving my results, my school did not want me to stay on for sixth form. After my results came out, they invited me back, but I politely declined and chose to study business at college instead. I remember being turned away from a lunchtime history revision class because I was only predicted a C, yet I went on to achieve an A. These bittersweet moments of proving people wrong became motivating. For the first time, I realized I wasn’t “stupid”, I simply had specific challenges with literacy. Dyslexia is a learning difference, not a reflection of intelligence.
At 18, I was reassessed for dyslexia before attending Bournemouth University. My reading, comprehension, and spelling levels were below those of the average eight-year-old, yet my IQ was average and my perceptual reasoning was in the 98th percentile. Even the examiner was surprised by the contrast. I remember thinking, “I still can’t read properly, and I’m about to start university.”
I knew university would be difficult, but I went anyway. By this point, I understood that I had strong intelligence alongside specific learning differences. However, my grades didn’t reflect the effort I was putting in, which was incredibly frustrating. I realized this was largely due to not fully understanding assignment expectations. Academic writing often requires specific structures and points, and my thinking didn’t always align with those systems. My ideas were creative but sometimes lacked the structure markers were looking for.
It took time to understand that academic success is, in many ways, a system you can learn. In my first and second years, I worked hard but saw limited results. By my third year, I felt like I had “cracked the code.” I learned to meet academic expectations while still incorporating my own creative thinking. I’m proud to say I graduated with a First-Class degree in Business and Enterprise, despite starting university with the reading and spelling level of an eight-year-old. This experience taught me to be resourceful and develop strategies to work around my challenges, especially since reading and writing took me significantly longer and required extensive proofreading.
Perceptual reasoning which is the ability to analyze problems, use visual-spatial skills, and develop solutions became one of my strengths. Scoring in the 98th percentile made me realize that while I may struggle in some areas, I also had a significant advantage. I could connect ideas across different areas of business and understand how they interact within real-world environments.
After university, I decided to start my own business. At the time, my mum was a special needs teacher, and together we experimented with creating professional reading and spelling games. After over a year of development, Got It Learning was born. Our products are phonics-based games that combine traditional card games with structured, systematic learning. Each pack includes five engaging games designed to make learning to read and spell enjoyable. We started with five packs and have since expanded to ten.
www.gotitlearning.co.uk
Running a business is challenging, with many moving parts. Most of our sales come through our website, so I’m constantly exploring ways to grow our online presence. While I still feel frustrated by my dyslexia at times, I also recognize how much it has helped me. It has strengthened my resilience and encouraged out-of-the-box thinking. I’ve learned to keep pushing forward, even when things don’t go my way.
Our goal is to bring enjoyment back into learning for dyslexic students. I regularly receive messages from tutors, teachers, and parents expressing how our games have helped their students engage with phonics in a positive way. Dyslexia led me to start and grow Got it Learning , and for that, I am truly grateful. I used to hate being dyslexic—now I see it as the reason I’ve been able to build something meaningful that helps others enjoy learning to read and spell.
Thank you for taking time to read this article. If you would like to visit my website the link is: www.gotitlearning.co.uk
