There is an interesting story behind the name DysGraphic by Design, LLC. The story begins with a young boy diagnosed with dyslexia, named Danny. At times, Danny felt different, frustrated, confused, and less intelligent than his peers did. Danny learned that terms like "dyslexia" and "dysgraphia" are interrelated because both words describe writing difficulties and difficulties with language.

In 1984, Danny attended a specialized summer program at the DePaul School in Louisville, Kentucky, which was designed to teach dyslexic children the fundamentals of "multi-sensory" learning. The DePaul School's goal was to convey a positive outlook for those individuals with dyslexia and teach students, like Danny to learn differently. For example, instructors would teach positive alternative meanings to commonly used words with negative connotations. For example, "learning disabled" (L.D.) is often used to describe individuals with dyslexia when in fact they actually have "learning differences." While attending the DePaul School, Danny was amazed and encouraged to find that some of the greatest minds in history, such as Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Leonardo de Vinci, General George Patton, Winston Churchill, Henry Ford, and Nelson Rockefeller among others were diagnosed as being dyslexic. back to top

After completing the summer program, Danny soon started high school. High School, as for most of his academic life, proved to be a continuous struggle. Danny's academic challenges were compounded by several family relocations. Teachers didn't understand what dyslexia was and how to handle an individual with dyslexia. Needless to say frustration levels for Danny continued to fester. As an outlet, juvenile delinquency, truancy, rebellion, and other "off the track" exploits were explored. Danny's behavior worsened as well as his grades, which led to him to eventually dropout of high school. Danny, now seventeen years old, made a decision to give up on education and became another "dropout" statistic. To appease his parents Danny did go on to take the General Educational Diploma (GED) exam on his eighteenth birthday. Finally, a success! At that time, college was not an option for Danny, so he decided to pursue other opportunities and eventually moved to Florida to escape his troubled past.

Danny quickly grew tired of trying to escape the past and was running out of options when he decided to change his life in a positive direction. Now, would Danny get a chance to prove everybody wrong by accomplishing the seemingly impossible, succeed in college? Remember that Danny had struggled with traditional education most of his life and was even a high school dropout. Danny set his sites on earning a college degree. and applied for admission at the University of Kentucky. The school he had dreamed of attending as a young boy while watching the "Wildcats" on television.back to top

The first application to attend the University of Kentucky was denied. Simply put, the administration did not feel that Danny, now 20 year old, dyslexic, and high-school dropout was "college material." Although, it frustrated and upset Danny badly, he kept his "chin up" and went on to obtain a job with a local law firm in Lexington, Kentucky. Danny enrolled at Lexington Community College with a new outlook, challenged, and with a positive attitude. That semester, for the first time, Danny excelled in his academics. The next semester Danny reapplied to the University of Kentucky and once again the admission was denied. But, this time the story was not over. A lawyer at the law firm where Danny worked offered to write a letter on his behalf. The letter stated that being dyslexic meant being a "protected class" according to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, additionally, the correspondence also encouraged the University to reconsider its position and allow admission. Needless to say, an admissions revue committee reluctantly opened the doors to the University. Danny (now using Dan) was admitted on a conditional basis and placed on an academic probation. Along about this time, the Kentucky State Department of Vocational Rehabilitation heard about and sponsored Dan by assisting with his college expenses. All the while, Dan continued to work for a Lexington-based law firm and attend school full-time. Dan was finally getting a chance at redemption and he was determined to beat the odds by succeeding.

A new beginning was underway. The course of study would be Marketing and Communications. Ironically, as a freshman Dan, started working with a state program called "Destination Graduation" whereby, college students would travel to rural regional high schools and meet with "at-risk" students. In this capacity Dan would act as a counselor, tutor, mentor, and friend. The goal was simple, convey the importance of education and assist struggling students in staying in school and earning a high school diploma. It was purely ironic that a high-school dropout was encouraging "at-risk" students to complete secondary education. A few years later, Dan had the opportunity to serve as a counselor and tutor at the DePaul School in Louisville, Kentucky where he had previously attended the specialized program which taught him about the gift of dyslexia. The following summer Dan was asked to continue his work as a counselor and tutor with the DePaul School in Jacksonville, Florida. He proudly accepted the offer.back to top

Four years after entering the University of Kentucky, Dan graduated and received a Bachelor of Science, Magna Cum Laude. He had made it through college with high honors. He accepted the diploma from the university with great pride and appreciation. Reiterating the old saying "never judge a book by its cover" people do get second chances and can change their lives.back to top

After graduation Dan relocated to Louisville, Kentucky where he found his marketing skills in high demand. Local companies seemed to seek out individuals who were results-oriented, technically skilled, enthusiastic, driven, and rich in marketing insight. In the last five years, Dan has served within the Executive ranks of two companies as Director of Marketing. Success in these career capacities has now afforded the opportunity to pursue another dream, a dream of owning a small successful business... a marketing and communications company.

The name Dysgraphic by Design, LLC was chosen to show the irony of the young dyslexic man whom once possessed great weaknesses in the areas of spoken and written language, but now has taken a complete turnaround and finally found his creative niche. Dan now wears dyslexia on his sleeve and tries to be a positive influence on individuals attempting to cope with dyslexia's challenges. Also, the name conveys the "communications" side of the business with the words Graphic and Design. It is purely ironic that someone who once struggled in reading and writing is now enjoying making a living assisting companies in marketing and ultimately communicating their message. You can bet, that the same sort of tenacity used in overcoming obstacles and adversity in life will be delivered in meeting the marketing challenges company's like yours. We appreciate the opportunity to earn your business and look forward to meeting you soon!