Former SPELD NZ student behind the bright idea

Ex SPELD NZ student 18-year-old Madison Sykes is the inventor of the iBrite reading aid and CEO of the Brite company behind it. She was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia as an 8-year-old.

“I wanted to excel in my schooling, but the words on the pages didn’t want to co-operate. Some days it felt like I was fishing, trying to pluck a word off the page; then trying to align the slithering fish to form sentences. This constant battle began to discourage me till it reached the point where I didn’t want to go to school and be in the lowest groups for reading, writing and maths.”

However, once Madison started SPELD NZ lessons, she began to make progress with her learning and gain more confidence.

“We’d work together on developing skills to overcome the struggles I faced. Initially I felt embarrassed about needing to go to a tutor, but after a few weeks I valued my sessions as I began to see progress.

“As I became more aware of just how common it is, I was no longer ashamed to have dyslexia. Today I’m proud to say I have dyslexia and dyspraxia. I’m doing well in school, and English (a past enemy) is now my favourite subject. If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that our differences (such as dyslexia) are not burdens, they should be celebrated. With determination and perseverance everyone can achieve.”

And Madison is a shining example of this. After completing her Year 13 studies, she plans to go to university to do a conjoint degree in law and commerce, majoring in economics.