David Eliot is a PhD candidate in Criminology at the University of Ottawa’s Centre for Law, Technology and Society and a 2022-2025 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholar. His academic journey has earned him numerous awards, and beyond academia, David is active in the arts and activism. Diagnosed with reading and writing dysgraphia in grade 3, David attributes much of his success to the opportunities he received—opportunities that many others with dyslexia are often denied.
“I know that if most of the kids with dyslexia were given the same experiences as me, they would be there. They would have succeeded just as much as I did,” he explains.
Though David didn’t enjoy English or writing as a child, he has since excelled in fields that demand high levels of reading comprehension and writing. His accomplishments include writing a stage show, wrote a short film, authoring a book, and pursuing post-secondary studies in social theory.
“I never thought I would be a writer by any means. I never thought I would, you know, be reading for the rest of my life.”
David credits much of his progress to the support he received along the way, starting with his mother, “who knew exactly what to do,” as David’s two older brothers were diagnosed before him. He also highlights the unique support system at Saint Francis Xavier University, where he studied in Nova Scotia.
“The Tremble Center For Accessible Learning is one of the greatest secrets about the university and its success. They had a lot more understanding of what I was going through, and I felt a lot more secure at the time. They knew I had this disability and what my needs were, and it was amazing.”
David’s message is clear:
“People with this disability can succeed and can often over-succeed when given the opportunities. Just look at all the people with dyslexia who have done amazing things in this world. It just goes to show that when we’re given the chance, our brains just work differently, but we need to be given the chance to show that.”
David believes there is immense untapped potential in people with dyslexia, emphasizing the need for earlier intervention and support: “There’s all this potential locked up in people with these different, brilliant ways of thinking. And they’re just not getting the chance to see that they have that potential. They’re not getting the chance to leverage it because we’re failing them so early on in the system. If you just imagine unlocking that potential, which is hidden in our country right now, hidden in the brains of so many youth being left behind—the impact that could have on innovation, the impact it could have on new ideas.”
To listen to David Eliot’s story, tune in to Dyslexia Canada’s Spotlight: Mark it Read series, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you typically access your podcasts.