Go left, right, left, left, right, then jump up and down and scream

Directions! Ah yes, those things that are great to know if you want to get from A to B. Yes, well, what if you don't know the way to B?

Get a map!
Well, that would be all well and good if dyscalculia didn't get in the way. The condition makes it very hard to read a map, unless very specific directions are labelled at each turning point.

Ask someone!
Dyscalculia can make it very difficult to remember directions, especially if they are only spoken ones. Trouble with left and right orientation is also common. This affects me most for example when someone suddenly says "turn right!" and then I'll panic because I don't instinctively know which way that would be, and I'll most likely end up going the wrong way. It isn't a case of absolutely not knowing it at all, because I know I write with my right hand and my left hand is the indie, less mainstream one.

Anyway, getting lost, or feeling like you're in an impossible situation is scary. I had a college induction day a little while ago (about the time I wrote my first entry on here), where all we had to find our way around was a confusing, plan-view map of the entire (huge) campus. I couldn't remember the way to the classroom I had been in earlier that day (in the language department) and the map was useless to me, so I ended up walking into the business studies building, which confused me greatly. Thankfully, my friend had seen me out of a window and came to get me. So basically, the easiest, least stressful way to get around a new place is if you have someone to take you there and to help you familiarise yourself, which isn't always easy to have. This may be true of any person, but for many dyscalculics, as I have explained, the normal options of directions or maps are cancelled out.

I would like to add that today marks the beginning of a project I have set myself. I'm going to create a short film about dyscalculia and what it's like to live with the condition. i have never made anything longer than a music video before so hopefully the outcome will be good!

Thanks for reading.