mhoulden

I write with reference to your letter of 12th January 2011 from XXX regarding my late father’s account. Frankly I was appalled by its condescending tone and the discourteous approach that EON has taken in this case so far. Domestic residences have been entitled to electricity supplies since at least the Electric Lighting Act of 1882 and I would hope that by now EON or its predecessors would have developed effective and sensitive procedures for closing the accounts of deceased customers.

Hi Jeremy. I was interested to read the letter from someone with dyspraxia and dyslexia who was having problems finding a fulfilling job. I have dyspraxia myself and some of the issues this person mentions sound quite familiar. First of all, from a legal point of view these conditions are classed as disabilities and employers are required to make reasonable adjustments. These can include giving instructions in writing instead of verbally, breaking complex tasks down into steps, allowing short breaks to allow information to be processed and allowing the use of a computer with a spell checker instead of handwriting. Depending on the size of the employer they may also provide training in time and project management or specialist multi sensory tuition through organizations such as the Dyslexia Institute and the Dyspraxia Foundation. However you do need to make your employer aware of these conditions. The university will probably have carried out some sort of assessment and a written report that they may have provided would be a good starting point for explaining the effects. Employment law relating to developmental disorders is still very sketchy. However the Employment Appeals Tribunal decided in a case of disability discrimination for dyslexia that employers are required to consider what a particular person could do if they were not disabled, not how they compare to people who are not. The case was Paterson v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.

It also sounds like the writer is suffering from a lack of confidence. Going through a series of low grade jobs will not be helping with this. However, even though the university and college will have provided a certain amount of help, they will have had to carry out certain tasks by themselves that require advanced skills such as research, summarizing articles, and of course the usual social interactions with classmates and tutors. The course may have also included having to stand up and give presentations. One effect of dyspraxia can be social awkwardness and jobs such as working in shops, with children or office admin require interaction with a large number of people who may at times be hostile or impatient. I think it would be a good idea to look for a job that’s less public-facing and more about working in a small team where you get to know each other quite well. This person will have some good skills: you don’t get an honours degree for nothing. Rather than applying for any job going I’d suggest looking for something where you can use those skills. Even if it’s a relatively low level job it will help you to build confidence if you’re doing something that you’re good at. I’ve been working as a software developer since I graduated 9 years ago (coincidentally with a 2:2 as well, although mine was in software engineering) and performance reviews over the last couple of years have commented on how my technical skills are as good as some of the best developers they’ve worked with. Low self confidence and stress can also exacerbate the effects of these conditions and improving confidence will mean they have less of an impact.

These conditions can be extremely tedious and they last for life. One of the ways I deal with dyspraxia is remembering that it is as much a disability as hearing loss or missing limbs and that some things will be difficult or impossible. This is not your fault and there’s no point blaming yourself for it. Concentrating on what you can do instead makes a difference. Despite being classed as disabled I have a good job with plenty of prospects. Dyspraxia also has physical effects such as problems with coordination, spacial awareness and balance, and one way I deal with that is by taking up martial arts. The effects aren’t going to go away but my instructors are aware I have it and getting plenty of practice can help. I’ve been doing Thai boxing for 5 years and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for 2, and was very pleased to be awarded my blue belt a couple of weeks ago. At work I find using the calendar and task list in Microsoft Outlook can be a good way to remember things. To avoid stumbling over words on the phone I sometimes write down what I’m going to say (and find writing down the answers to questions can provide a useful record). Speaking slowly and trying not to gabble can help as well.

The three main charities that support these conditions are DANDA, the Dyslexia Institute and the Dyspraxia Foundation. These have a network of support groups for adults and children. I used to be involved with the West Yorkshire group and try to keep in touch with the local coordinator when I can. I’ve also spoken to Mary Colley who helped to set up the Dyspraxia Foundation and DANDA and found her to be very helpful.

Feel free to pass on my email. Managing these conditions can be hard work but it is possible.

So, the 16th of March. Back in 2005 I'd fallen into bad habits. I was seriously overweight and spent most of my time watching TV, playing computer games and eating takeaways. Although I had a bike it only got used once or twice a month. However change was in the air. In January 2005 I bought a Sony PS2 and GTA San Andreas. As part of the game you can train at 3 martial arts gyms, one boxing, one kung fu and one kick boxing. I was kind of curious about the boxing so I bought some cheap shorts and gloves and decided to see if I could find somewhere to give it a go. After a bit of Googling I found a few boxing and kick boxing places that looked promising. Some had web sites while others just had email addresses. I left it for a few weeks but then in March 2005 I had to do some work in Cardiff so I called into a martial arts shop there and bought some Thai boxing shorts because the boxing shorts I had didn't fit, with the proviso that if I was going to spend that kind of money I'd better use them. After watching a couple of old fights on the C5 show Now is the Time I finally got round to doing things and sent the following email to Richard Smith, the main instructor at Bad Company on the 8th of March:

I'm interested in joining the gym and coming to classes. Before I do, I was wondering if you had any requirements regarding health or level of fitness as it would be fair to say I'm somewhat unfit and overweight. In the past when I've spoken to my doctor he's suggested that the best way for me to overcome this is to get more exercise, such as joining a gym. I'd also be interested to know if there is any particular equipment or clothing I should bring when I do come. 

If you'd like to contact me over the phone, my number is xxx.

Thanks.

mh. 

By the time I got a reply the next available open session was Wednesday the 16th. I was very nervous when I got there but I decided the best plan was to go with the flow and see what they could teach me. During the warmup Richard came over to me and told me to just do what I could, possibly the first and last time he'd not told me to try harder. Can't remember much about that session but I do remember trying to do a push kick and falling backwards. I was pretty achy afterwards but I decided I was going to try doing six weeks and then decide whether to continue. Unfortunately after that I got mumps and had to miss the next couple of sessions. Certainly wouldn't be the last time I was disappointed that illness or an injury meant I'd miss training.

In April was Linz & Dave's wedding where I shocked a few people with the state I was in:

However plans were already in place to do something about it.

From looking like the Michelin man's less well toned brother I've become this after 5 years:

Final weight at the end of the year was 84 kg, a total loss of 49 kg. I also got my waist down from 48" to 33". My chest went down from 48" to 40" but now it's more like 42" now I'm doing weights and muscling up.

From here I'm planning on continuing as long as I can. My strategy is making hay while the sun shines: at some point I won't be able to train at this level and I may have to stop but that isn't any time soon. Since the October fight fell through I've been wanting to fight again and I'd really like to get something organized, Thai boxing or MMA.

I've got various thoughts on the atrocious pseudoscience that infests areas such as sport and nutrition but I've written about them elsewhere. I've also got various thoughts the banal platitudes that some people use as motivational "systems". I think the problem is that people will try anything that might give them an edge regardless of how ludicrous it is which opens the door to snake oil merchants. Let's just say that the proper scientific method works for nutrition and I've never been particularly keen on proprietary techniques such as NLP. The real test of a motivational technique is not when you're sitting in a comfortable room while a charismatic person whispers warm sounding platitudes at you, but when you're lying badly injured in a hospital bed or if you've suffered some other misfortune. I knew losing weight and getting up to fighting standard would be a long hard slog but I think it should be obvious from all this that I don't give up easily and I'm pretty resilient.

Enough rambling. After 5 years in this game I had to write something just to mark the passing of time.