Cookie Time Charitable Trust

Ron Davis, founder of Davis Dyslexia Association International

Born autistic, Ron Davis grew up labeled a 'dummy' at home and a 'mental retard' at school. Despite his severe learning disabilities, he became a successful engineer, businessman and sculptor. Davis was functionally illiterate until the age of 38 when he discovered a method that allowed him to read a book cover to cover for the first time in his life without struggling.)

Ron Davis believes that dyslexics have visual, multi-dimensional minds which are less predisposed to word-based thinking.

It is this difference in perception that causes dyslexics not to recognise printed symbols such as letters of the alphabet and written words. When control can be gained over perceptual disorientation by using simple mental processes, and Davis Symbol Mastery, then someone who is dyslexic will be able to read and write without problems.

As a result, Ron Davis went on to research and develop training procedures known as the Davis Dyslexia Correction Programme, for dyslexic adults and children that are now changing the face of special education and learning disabilities throughout the world. These methods are geared towards the unique learning style of dyslexics. The unique aspects of his work are a series of perceptual and kinaesthetic exercises called Orientation Counseling which enable people prone to disorientation and who suffer from learning difficulties to control the mental processes that cause distorted perceptions of letters, words and numerals.

Davis has developed creative learning procedures called Symbol Mastery which allows dyslexic students to think with symbols and words so they can learn to read easily and with full comprehension. The process involves students modeling symbols and word concepts in clay, a multi-sensory process that enables them to exercise their creativity. With this approach, learning is permanent.

The Davis methods have a 97% success rate at correcting (not curing) dyslexia and related conditions such as dysgraphia, dyscalculia, attention difficulties and dyspraxia.

Davis Dyslexia Association International (DDAI) was founded in 1995 by Ron and Alice Davis. Its goals are to increase worldwide awareness about the positive aspects of dyslexia and related learning styles and to present methods for improving literacy.

In just the following nine years DDAI has established branches all over the world, including New Zealand. DDAI provides referral services and technical support to more than 300 licensed Davis Facilitators, in twenty two nations and in seventeen languages.

Even here and now, in the 21st Century western world, countless thousands of people suffer injustices, unfair treatment and humiliation throughout their childhoods and into their adult lives simply because they struggle to read or write. Often they appear to be bright in every other respect. Often they are dyslexic.

Despite all our technological advances, literacy remains crucial to living a life of quality, yet too many dyslexics around the world continue to suffer silently.

Davis has helped many thousands of adult and child dyslexics all over the world to read and see their way of learning as a talent and to enhance their natural creative ability.

Listen to Ron Davis being interviewed by Kim Hill on Radio New Zealand 26.06.04 (MP3 file)

Kirsteen Britten

Cookie Time Charitable Trust Patron, Kirsteen Britten, has led a colourful life. Like her late husband, the celebrated designer and inventor John Britten, she has struggled with traditional academic learning.

Within four years of winning the Miss Canterbury title at just fifteen years old, Kirsteen had climbed to the top of the fashion modeling business; living in London, Paris and New York, and working on photo assignments around the world. She has appeared in (and on the covers of) the world's top fashion magazines - Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire - to name just a few.

Kirsteen and John were married in 1983. They had three children, all born at home; there is an anecdote of John fiddling around on a motorbike while Kirsteen, screaming, gave birth upstairs to son Sam.

They were a glamorous, successful husband and wife who both had problems with reading and writing. "I think it made us feel very relaxed with each other." He was dyslexic; Kirsteen has dysphagia. "But that's just a label. I tend to say I have learning difficulties."

John died of cancer on September 5, 1995. He was 45. The funeral was in Christchurch Cathedral. His V-1000 motorcycles are regarded as high art (exhibited at Te Papa and the Guggenheim) and high performance (four world speed records, winner of races at Daytona and in Holland, England and New Zealand).

A 1990 story from the New Zealand Woman's Weekly read: "Kirsteen wasn't academically minded and left school at 16." In her own words, she is a kinesthetic learner, which means that she needs education to be a tactile experience, to be able to touch things rather than the usual passive methods of looking and listening. The world is very likely full of undiscovered kinesthetic learners. She said, "We look at life differently. We think differently … I think my late husband John was very much a doer in his learning process as well."

She talked about how it had made her self-conscious, that she felt she was labeled at school as stupid, as slow. "But you'd be amazed at the people who have learning difficulties who are at the top of business. There was one entrepreneur who said, 'I can't tell my children, but actually I can hardly read and I certainly don't write anyone, ever.' I know quite a few people who are very successful businessmen who've hidden it for years and years, and said it doesn't matter, but still have great minds. That's the big thing for us. Because we're people with learning difficulties, we can give up on ourselves … John was considered stupid at school. All his reports said, 'This boy could do better. This boy is slow.' Now they're saying John was a genius."

Her own literacy has greatly improved. She has now discovered Davis, and has completed the Davis Dyslexia Correction Programme and is part way through the Davis Facilitator's training which will give her the knowledge and experience to help others.

Such is Kirsteen's willingness to help that when the Cookie Time Charitable Trust asked her to become a Trust patron she enthusiastically accepted.

Mackenzie Thorpe

Internationally renowned artist Mackenzie Thorpe was raised in the industrial town of Middlesbrough, England in the 1950s. The eldest of seven children his father worked as a labourer and his mother as an auxiliary nurse.

Life for the Thorpe family was no different to that of most of their community - at times a struggle. Mackenzie acknowledges mixed emotions about this period in his life. He remembers the strong feeling of community spirit, the warmth and humour which flourished in the face of adversity, as well as a loneliness and isolation; the impact of these early years remain apparent in his work today.

Mackenzie’s isolation was undoubtedly exacerbated by the fact that he had undiagnosed dyslexia. Whilst it is a sad reality that at times life is a struggle for all of us, the additional challenges that children with learning difficulties have to face are monumental. It is particularly difficult for those children who have no diagnosis and therefore no way of addressing the challenges they face; there is no explanation available to either themselves or their families as to why they cannot acquire skills which other people seem to master so easily. Mackenzie speaks from first hand experience when he says that our sense of self esteem and feelings of self worth can be permanently affected by the challenges presented by learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

Mackenzie was fortunate in that he had a natural ability to draw and create and he found salvation through being able to express himself, through painting and drawing. Children with learning difficulties often face greater problems than most in finding empowering outlets and valid recognition for self expression and communication to the outside world. Their frustrations at being unheard, can at times manifest as behavioral problems; their isolation impacting on their lives in a way that they may never loose, and sadly may never realise their full potential.

Leaving school with no qualifications Mackenzie worked in a series of manual jobs but eventually got the courage to apply to his local Art College. His lack of education and a barely readable application did little to warrant support, but the strength and volume of work that Mackenzie presented, coupled with an enthusiasm and commitment won him a place at Middlesbrough College of Art and subsequently the Byam Shaw School of Art in London.

After leaving art school, he spent several years working with inner-city children in London, before moving to North Yorkshire to set up a studio, as well as his own gallery with his wife Susan, and children Owen and Chloe. Since then, he has become one of the world's most collected and sought-after artists.

He says “I have been very fortunate, because of my art I have a voice through which I can express myself and communicate to the outside world. It doesn’t matter that my reading and writing is not at a high standard, I can communicate my messages through my work and it is to my great joy and pride people understand what I am saying. Conversely, to enjoy my work and understand what I am saying you do not need to read and write yourself, nor do you need knowledge of art; all you have to do is look at the images and feel. My work speaks in the language of emotions, a language we all use, it’s a great leveler, because, irrespective of age, nationality, sex, social class, etc., we all have an innate ability to communicate and recognise emotion. I draw about love and life, struggle and challenge, innocence and joy, frustration and pain. My art needs little translating and both simple and complex emotions are apparent in my work; people access it on a level relevant to themselves. Because it is so visually accessible, my work has at times prompted children to recognise shared feelings and encouraged them to paint and draw themselves. Once they loose the strait jacket of fear, that they may somehow get it wrong, they find themselves free to explore their feelings and express themselves in a way which is valid, liberating and empowering”.

Mackenzie is honoured to be asked to be a patron of the Cookie Time Charitable Trust and hopes his story and his art proves to be a positive inspiration for others.

www.mackenziethorpe.net