Sophmore Studio Project

According to the National Center of Learning Disabilities, “1 in 5 children in the U.S. have a learning disability and/or attention issue”. As our society becomes better at identifying these underlying symptoms students face, it is also our responsibility to understand and support the 1 out of 5 to succeed. Since I can remember, I have been diagnosed with a learning disability. Labeled as someone who was always behind their peers, and being pulled out of class unable to learn amongst their peers. Being identified as someone who learns differently came with the cost of my peers not being able to fully understand the struggles that come with the label. Some approached it with sincere jealousy, believing it was unfair that I received what they would consider an easier test or reading. It was something that I became very self conscious about, and from an early age felt it made me less than others. I wanted to do this project to open people's eyes about the not so glamorous side of learning differently and tell others that also struggle like I did that they are not alone. I hope that when people see this work, they realize that despite all the challenges one can face as a child diagnosed with a learning disability, one can still overcome and achieve in life. We are not defined by others, we are defined by ourselves. I hope that these items serve as historical evidence that if I can do it, you can too.