Navigating Education with Dyslexia

Hi, I am Fiona Smith and I am Student President at Your Students’ Association. I grew up in Glasgow and moved to Perthshire for starting high school (culture shock!).

English was my worst subject at school - the words moved around, and my mind wandered off and I continuously found myself trying to re-read the first paragraph. I would look around the class and wonder why everyone else was pages in front of me. I hated books, but I loved stories. I would listen to cassettes for hours, imaging the scene and the characters like a film in my head. My best subject was art. I was always doing art; in French class, maths, English - my jotters were covered in doodles.

My peers soon left me behind, achieving Highers and Advanced Highers. I was embarrassed to find myself in Intermediate classes with students from the year below. It was becoming deafeningly loud that something was wrong - I was different. My self-esteem hit rock bottom.

I didn’t have Highers to get into university. I enjoyed baby-sitting for the neighbours, so my mum suggested the NC Early Education and Childcare course. I started my UHI Perth journey in 2010. I enjoyed the subject, but I struggled with the volume of writing. Christabel in study skills let me try different overlays. I soon got purple coloured paper which helped a bit. I didn’t pass the course but achieved certain modules. I then worked in a children’s club for a few years and achieved an SVQ3 in children’s care learning and development before moving on to work with people with additional support needs.

I realised my true passion was art and I came back to college in 2014 and studied HNC Contemporary Art Practice. I was happy to see familiar staff (Christabel) who could support me. I chose to study Higher English in the evening as I wished to improve my critical writing skills. Student services were a great support and I got dyslexic software for the first time and tinted glasses. This changed my world. Reading was not only manageable - as the letters behaved, it was also fun! I found myself reading for pleasure. I then progressed onto the HND.

In 2017, the college was setting up an art degree. I continued doing support work to gain some pennies. I wasn’t satisfied with life and had no time to create art. In 2019, I took off to Southeast Asia for half a year. I loved it! The adventure unfolded in Borneo, trekking through the rainforest, and learning conservation work. I got a flight to Indonesia, lived with local people and taught English in the local school. This really boosted my confidence and self-worth. I said goodbye and spent six weeks backpacking Nepal. I went kayaking with dolphins in Laos and put up a Christmas tree in 30c heat in Thailand before flying back to freezing Edinburgh mid-December!

Settling back into Scotland, I got a job in a school for additional support needs and assisted in the classroom. I had really enjoyed teaching abroad and started an online TEFL course. Lockdown hit and I lost my job, so I started volunteering at ESOL Perth and thoroughly enjoyed teaching.

As I showed a passion for art, when funding came through, I took the opportunity to host art workshops to adults and children.

My old lecturer came into ESOL Perth to do research. He saw me doing community art and suggested I apply for the degree in Art and Contemporary Practices… I got in!

I was thrilled to discover Christabel was still there. I instantly felt calmer, knowing I had support with my dyslexia. I had a blast painting in the studio and got to go on placement, creating a mural at Moncreiffe Primary School. My previous experience of working with children came in handy.

I progressed onto the honours year and got an ‘A’ in my dissertation proposal. I never imagined I would ever get to university level with dyslexia, let alone get good grades. I had my first solo exhibition in April 2023 and my degree show the following month. I graduated on the 5th of October 2023 and Christabel celebrated with me as she had been alongside me on my journey from NC to BA Hons.

Here we are, 13 years down the line, and I’m the Student President with an Honours Degree in Art and Contemporary Practices. I have my own website and business cards for my freelance community artwork. I share a studio space with local artists and make money doing what I love. Not bad for a person with dyslexia.

Keep at it - you never know where you could end up in 13 years!