Ty's Dyslexia Story: A Striving Reader Learns to Fly

This fall, at 17, Ty earned his private pilot’s license, the first step in pursuing his lifelong dream of becoming a commercial pilot.

Last year, I loved sharing Matteo’s story for Dyslexia Awareness Month. When it came time to write this year’s, I knew exactly whose story I wanted to celebrate.

I’ve known Ty since the day he was born. His mom and aunt are lifelong friends, so I’ve watched Ty grow up alongside my own kids. I have such special memories of Ty as a little kid. He was endlessly creative and hands-on. I remember when he built a bowling alley in the basement and when he and his dad constructed a stage, complete with curtains and lighting, so that when our families got together, the kids could perform songs and dances, their favorite thing to do. Tempting as it is, I’ll spare Ty (and my now-teenage boys) sharing the photos of those performances.

Ty’s parents observed some early reading struggles, but by third grade, his test scores had started to drop. The school insisted everything was fine. Like many dyslexic students, Ty is extremely bright. He was a good student who worked hard and didn’t cause disruptions in class. According to his mom, he was never doing “bad enough” for the school to provide extra help or support.

In fourth grade, Ty was reading at a kindergarten level, and his parents knew something was wrong. On the advice of an outside resource, they tried vision therapy for over a year but saw little progress. By the start of fifth grade, Ty was struggling, not just academically, but emotionally. His confidence had taken a hit, and school was no longer a place he felt good about himself. His parents pursued a private evaluation, which confirmed that he had dyslexia. They immediately began Orton-Gillingham tutoring twice a week.

Let’s pause here for a moment because when schools don’t provide the support kids need, the responsibility shifts to families. And for Ty, that meant trading soccer, time with friends, and all the things he enjoyed for more hours doing something that already felt hard. It was frustrating and discouraging because, for kids who struggle to read, the very things meant to help can sometimes feel like punishment. For his parents, it meant rearranging work schedules and spending thousands of dollars on private tutoring. Sacrifices of time, energy, and money that most families don’t have the luxury to make.

In seventh grade, after nearly four long years of frustration, Ty’s school finally acknowledged his dyslexia diagnosis, and a 504 plan was put in place. For the first time, he began receiving accommodations that allowed him to demonstrate what he was capable of. Speech-to-text tools helped him put his thoughts on paper, someone could read exam questions aloud, and an incredible English teacher empowered him to give speeches instead of writing essays. These small changes didn’t just raise his grades but allowed his teachers, peers, parents, and most importantly, Ty himself, to see what he was capable of all along.

Looking back, his dyslexia diagnosis makes so much sense. Like many dyslexic thinkers, the STEAM parts of Ty’s brain—science, technology, engineering, arts, and math—are totally supercharged. Today, Ty is soaring—quite literally. This fall, he earned his private pilot’s license, the first step in pursuing his lifelong dream of becoming a commercial pilot. Now a senior in high school, he’s the captain of his varsity soccer team and is set to graduate a semester early with an impressive 3.6 GPA. In January, he’ll begin taking general education courses at a local community college before heading off next fall to pursue a Bachelor’s in Aeronautical Science at University of Dubuque.