The words are backwards. You're not.
Turn dyslexia from the thing kids hide into the edge they lead with.
D is for Dyslexia is a movement helping schools, parents, and organizations turn dyslexia from a label kids hide into the unfair advantage they lead with. Keynotes, trainings, and 1:1 mentorship — plus a community for founders, builders, and creatives building their own path.
Not booking a keynote?Find your room ↓"I was blown away by Dylan, as were the other parents and staff members that heard him speak."
13,000+
Students reached
K-12 assemblies since 2021
22
Schools visited
16 cities · 15 states · 2 countries
58,000+
Books sold
#1 Amazon Intl. Bestseller · launched Feb 2026
#1
International bestselling author
The Words Are Backwards, You're Not
Seen on
Where the work has shown up.
Office Hours
David Meltzer
ABC 21
WPTA
NBC
KTTC
NBC 7
KWWL
Suncoast
News Network
Chicago Journal
News Wire
Magazine
Morgridge
Family Foundation
Featured · Podcast appearance
Office Hours with
David Meltzer
"I don't want you to hear what I'm saying. I want you to feel what I'm saying and I want you to connect with what I'm saying, so you can then help somebody else."
How the movement started
I spent most of school
being told what was wrong with me.
Adopted from a Russian orphanage at three. A new country, a new language, and a classroom that decided early what I was capable of.
Misdiagnosed with ADHD. Put on medications that made me feel like I had bugs crawling under my skin. Pulled out for "special" testing. Sat in the small classes — the ones everyone knew were for the "stupid kids."
I couldn't read until I was sixteen. Eleven years of being called lazy, slow, or broken — rearranged the moment someone finally said the word dyslexia.
In 2020, at twenty, I started D is for Dyslexia — not because I had it figured out, but because I knew exactly which kid was sitting in the back of the room. I wanted him to hear it sooner than I did: the words are backwards. You're not.
Founder
Dylan Smith
Speaker · Author
In the room
The talk is the start. What they do next is the point.
Dylan is changing the way educators view dyslexia — motivating kids with dyslexia and teaching others understanding and tolerance.
If you've got a room in mind, tell me which one. That's the next section.
Find your room
Different rooms need different talks. Tell me which one is yours.
For Schools
Assemblies, residencies, and the one trip that changes the whole building.
Explore →For Parents
Hope without the lecture. Tools for the kid you can't get through to.
Explore →For Educators
PD that gives your teachers something to do Monday morning.
Explore →For Organizations
Neurodiversity as a leadership advantage. Keynotes for ERGs, DEI, and offsites.
Explore →For Founders & Builders
A community of entrepreneurs, creatives, coaches, and founders building together.
Explore →Not sure yet? Keep scrolling — the work explains itself ↓
What the movement stands for
Four words. One job.
"To impact, inspire, motivate, educate, and bring awareness to the challenges that kids with dyslexia face."
01 / 04
IMPACT
A strong, positive effect on the people who need it most — the kids who think they're the problem.
02 / 04
MOTIVATE
Move the youth to be strong, smart, and supportive of each other. Especially the ones who learn differently.
03 / 04
INSPIRE
Remind brilliantly creative people that the way their brain works is the gift, not the glitch.
04 / 04
EDUCATE
Teach youth, parents, and schools how to help kids with disabilities succeed in school and in life.
From the road
Where he's been. Who he's with.
Stage lights, green rooms, classrooms, and the people walking this with him. Live from @disfordyslexia19.
Traded a signed copy of my book for the key to the city of Las Vegas.
On the road with the production team for the book tour.
Titles don't matter. Who you impact does. How you show up does.
Gratitude to everyone supporting the mission.
So much gratitude — thank you for always believing in me.
On the Jeff Crilley Show.
Just the start. Very blessed, very thankful.
Outstanding leaders I get to learn from.
Be genuine. Authentic. Driven.
Pleasure to collaborate and learn.
Confidence without ego.
Dylan Smith is a kid who cares.
After he leaves
What the room says
Unedited from teachers, parents, and administrators after Dylan's school visits. The pattern is always the same — kids leave wanting to help the friend sitting next to them.
Dylan is changing the way educators view dyslexia, motivating and inspiring kids with dyslexia, and teaching others understanding and tolerance to these students.
Hard to get a group of middle school kids to stay that engaged and say that guy was awesome. They also expressed wanting to help their friends who were dyslexic because they didn't know how hard it was for them.
I was blown away by Dylan, as were the other parents and staff members that heard him speak.
Love it. My kids came back today raving about Dylan. They didn't know their friends struggled so much and want to help.
The book · #1 international bestseller
The words are backwards,
You're not.
Dyslexia is your superpower
Given up for adoption. An orphanage at two. A new country without the language. Bullied every day at school. By high school, reading at a fifth-grade level — and still, no one gave Dylan the help he truly needed. Misdiagnosed with ADHD and put on heavy medication when the real issue was dyslexia.
Instead of letting the label define him, he turned the pain into purpose and his learning difference into his superpower. A book to make you see challenges differently, believe in yourself no matter what, and realize your biggest struggle might be the key to your greatness. If you've ever felt like giving up — read this first.
"With my story — first being misdiagnosed, overcoming my struggles and disadvantages, and finally graduating with my class — I now want to create change, bring awareness, and reshape the way people look at dyslexia."
Bring Dylan in
Tell me who's
in the room.
Assembly, educator training, parent night, leadership keynote, or podcast. Tell me the basics — grade level, headcount, and the thing you're hoping someone finally hears. I read every one of these myself.
Replies inside 48 hours · personally