Dyslexia: How do we learn? “Dyslexia: How do we learn?”, written by John O’Shea and Jenny Dalton in 1994, was a best seller for three weeks. SOME EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK … “The thought of writing a letter was a nightmare, a thank you note was an impossibility, and leaving a message on the door for a friend was embarrassing.” Jenny Dalton, a teacher working in the Learning Skills Unit at the Gordon Technical College in Geelong, helped John turn his life around. This inspiring and highly readable book is John’s own story of his personal struggle with dyslexia, and the obstacles and fears dyslexics face on a daily basis. It also shows how, with Jenny’s help, John overcame his difficulty with reading and writing.   She started by asking him how he learned, and before long, John was reading and writing, far beyond anything he had ever learned at school. “At last someone had recognised it – I wasn’t dumb; I could learn – but not by reading books or writing." “It was as if I had not been able to talk and all of a sudden someone granted me the use of words” John says. With this, his first book, John worked with the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind (RVIB) and with the help of a professional reader, he has made the book available to all in audio format also, . The full text of John’s book, “Dyslexia: How do we learn?”, is available to download in print and audio format.		Introduction Part 1 - John's Story Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Part 2 - A Case Study Part 3 - How to Help References Additional Reading Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Meet John O'Shea John O’Shea has a Diploma of Outdoor Education, has been self-employed for more than 20 years, and has worked for Bendigo Bank and currently works with Get Financial www.getfinancial.com.au He is also Dyslexic. He has lived with the Aboriginal people of Yannuwa of Boroloola in the Northern Territory. He has worked as a guide in the Australian High Country.  He has worked as a ski instructor, and a private nurse.  A gifted and talented sportsman, he has travelled to more than 35 countries.
John is committed to improving community understanding of what it is like to live with a learning difficulty.  Many students struggle with learning difficulties.  Many people - be they parents or educators - work to help them.  But still, learning difficulties are not necessarily understood or managed as well as they could be, by families, teachers, or the wider community. This site has been developed as a tool and resource to help to facilitate understanding and provide resources for all people affected by learning difficulties. Together with Jenny Dalton, he wrote “Dyslexia: How do we learn?”. Published in 1994, the book made the best-seller list that year. John is currently working on his next book, which looks at how he is coping with Dyslexia now - some 13 years since his first book.  Now 41, John is married, the father of three boys and a baby daughter – and building a career in the corporate world.  Not surprisingly, he has found he has changed some of his views on Dyslexia.  It’s quite a different perspective from his first book, but it’s still a story of dealing with Dyslexia and winning – with some new tips on coping.  Over the years, John has conducted a number of television and radio interviews on Dyslexia, and these are available to you - through this website.