07/12/2023
Very sad to hear of the passing of Professor Benjamin Zephaniah this morning. An individual with severe dyslexia, who used his talents in so many different areas. Find out more from him below about his specific learning difficulty and how he developed his writing to be accessible and relatable to so many.
Famous Friday Face No.1 - Benjamin Zephaniah.
As a young child Benjamin struggled with poor reading abilities, but he never received proper intervention for his difficulties at school. Benjamin has always loved telling stories and as a child he would ask his sister to write the poems in his head down for him. Benjamin was kicked out of school when he was aged 13, having been told by teachers that his poor reading abilities were a result of his race and he was likely to end up in prison. It wasn’t until Benjamin was 21 and he went to night school for help with reading and writing that he learned he was dyslexic.
Benjamin now holds the title of poet, writer, musician, professor, and holder of 16 honorary doctorates. Benjamin says that whilst he did suffer as a child because of his dyslexia, he has learned to turn it to his advantage.
“I think having dyslexia can make you creative. If you want to construct a sentence and can’t find the word you are searching for, you have to think of a way to write around it. That’s the way architects work.
They see a problem - maybe a building has to be taller or has to keep the light out - and find a way to deal with it. In fact I’ve come to the conclusion that dyslexia is the human race’s default position. I presume everyone’s dyslexic and wait for people to tell me they’re not!”
You can read more about Benjamin and his dyslexia here - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/02/young-dyslexic-children-creative
or to listen to him speak about his dyslexia here.- https://thecodpast.org/2016/02/episode-21-the-professor-of-poetry-benjamin-zephaniah/
