They both have dyslexia.

It’s an unlikely pairing, but Isley Hermansen caught the attention of the Virgin Group founder through a heartwarming video she made about the struggle dyslexics face.

Isley started high school this year and was struggling to keep up in class, her mother Julie Hermansen told news.com.au.

“She was suffering a lot from anxiety, which goes hand in hand with dyslexia, and I was trying to think of a way to build her self esteem and empower her,” Julie said.

One Saturday afternoon, Isley Googled ‘famous dyslexics’ and discovered a long rollcall of high profile men and women, including Stephen Hawking, Cher, Roald Dahl and Jamie Oliver.

“She decided to put all these famous faces together in a PowerPoint presentation. She did all the animation and everything on her own, we found a powerful song and we put the video on YouTube,” said Julie.

In the video, Isley explains what it’s like to live with the condition.

“Right now it seems like you have got it all over us … because being in a classroom is not our strong point. Sitting for tests, writing essays and reading are all a struggle for us. You don’t see us put our hand up for answers much, and we might try and hide in the classroom,” she writes.

“One day I’m going to fly like a dyslexic,” the video says, accompanied with images of Branson and other dyslexic celebrities including Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom and Michael Jordan.

Julie shared the video on a dyslexic support Facebook group and was overwhelmed with the response.

“We were contacted by other families who said they cried when they saw it. It got shared in the US and the UK. We got so much feedback from people saying they found it inspirational and from teaching advocates who wanted to use it in schools,” she said.

 

Julie and Isley then went “went straight to the top” and contacted Branson’s team around five weeks ago.

“We didn’t think we’d get anywhere. We thought, ‘Oh well, we tried’. But then last week I received an email from Richard’s team and it all spiralled from there. It’s incredible to have his support and to have the issue out there in the public eye.”

Branson shared the video on his Facebook page and wrote a blog post about Isley.

‘Every now and then you come across something so inspiring that you can’t help but share it. This was certainly the case with this wonderful idea from 12-year-old Isley, who has severe dyslexia,” Branson wrote.

“Isley’s mum wrote to me saying that one of the main problems with dyslexia is a misunderstanding of the condition, which leads to people feeling ashamed to be dyslexic.

“She said that some kids prefer to fail rather than admit to the shame of being dyslexic. While awareness about dyslexia is growing, it can still hold so many people back.

“But with videos like Isley’s, the word is spreading that dyslexics can ‘Shake the Shame’ and see all of the positives of being dyslexic. I see my condition as a gift, not a disability. It has helped me learn the art of delegation, focus my skills, and work with incredible people,” he wrote.

Isley says she’s stoked with the worldwide response to her video.

“It makes me feel very special,” she told news.com.au. “She’s really happy,” her mum added.

Julie says dyslexia is a “hidden disability”.

“There’s no funding for it. Teachers aren’t trained to deal with it and they don’t know how to identify it.

“It’s got nothing to do with intelligence — Richard Branson is a highly intelligent man. It’s just that dyslexics learn differently. They need to be taught differently and we need the school system to change,” she said.

Dyslexia is hereditary and affects an estimated 10 per cent of all Australians, according to the Australian Dyslexia Association.

Source……..www.news.com.au

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