FCE Interview 30

Fail

Interviewer: Today I’m going to be talking to one of the most successful young actresses in Hollywood, Kay Stanley, about a special aspect of her work – one that’s not very well known on this side of the Atlantic. And that’s the Stanley Trust. Kay, welcome to the programme. Would you start by explaining what the Stanley Trust is?

Kay Stanley: Sure. It’s basically an organisation set up by my father to help kids who have problems reading and writing – kids with dyslexia. I’m dyslexic myself, you see, and after I had been diagnosed, my dad realised there weren’t many organisations for dyslexic kids, and he decided to set one up himself a few years later.

Interviewer: I believe one of the problems with dyslexia is that it isn’t diagnosed in many cases, or not early enough. Was this what happened with you?

Kay Stanley: I used to learn stories off by heart by playing the tapes of them over and over again, and then pretend to read them. In fact, I was so good at it that my mum only guessed there was something wrong when she caught me learning the stories like that! Then my parents got me examined by a doctor, and luckily, he knew something about dyslexia, so he sent me to an expert. He said I’m pretty fortunate because my condition is less severe. compared to other people with dyslexia.

Interviewer: You mention an expert on dyslexia. You must know quite a lot about it yourself by now?

Kay Stanley: I do, yes, but one of the problems with dyslexia is that even the specialists don’t really understand it. They know dyslexics think in a different way from other people. Dyslexics are of above-average intelligence, they have distinctive talents and a creative imagination. But whether dyslexia has other effects on the brain or not, nobody really knows. Some people say you use a different sort of logic if you’re dyslexic, and it’s easier for you to solve problems, but it’s hard to test that.

Interviewer: And once you were diagnosed, did you start to improve?

Kay Stanley: Not immediately. At first, I was too unhappy about the whole thing, and my parents felt frustrated and confused. I knew at an early age that I wanted to become an actress, and getting school qualifications was not a priority for me. In the end, I did work hard to improve my reading skills just to show my fellow students that I was every bit as clever as they were.

Interviewer: Is it better for children with dyslexia to get special treatment?

Kay Stanley: It depends what you mean by that. I don’t think it’s a good idea to isolate them and put them in special schools because that makes them feel awkward. On the other hand, they do need extra teaching in reading and writing by teachers who understand the problem.

Interviewer: And getting back to the Stanley Trust, how do you feel you can best help the Trust? Will you be giving speeches about dyslexia in public?

Kay Stanley: I doubt it. I think the public would get tired of someone like me talking about the subject all the time. It seems to me the best thing I can do is set a good example of how dyslexics can live a normal, happy life.

Interviewer: Well, I wish you luck with that. And thank you for talking to us today.

Kay Stanley: Thank you.

Interviewer: Today I’m going to be talking to one of the most successful young actresses in Hollywood, Kay Stanley, about a special aspect of her work – one that’s not very well known on this side of the Atlantic. And that’s the Stanley Trust. Kay, welcome to the programme. Would you start by explaining what the Stanley Trust is?

Kay Stanley: Sure. It’s basically an organisation set up by my father to help kids who have problems reading and writing – kids with dyslexia. I’m dyslexic myself, you see, and after I had been diagnosed, my dad realised there weren’t many organisations for dyslexic kids, and he decided to set one up himself a few years later.

Interviewer: I believe one of the problems with dyslexia is that it isn’t diagnosed in many cases, or not early enough. Was this what happened with you?

Kay Stanley: I used to learn stories off by heart by playing the tapes of them over and over again, and then pretend to read them. In fact, I was so good at it that my mum only guessed there was something wrong when she caught me learning the stories like that! Then my parents got me examined by a doctor, and luckily, he knew something about dyslexia, so he sent me to an expert. He said I’m pretty fortunate because my condition is less severe. compared to other people with dyslexia.

Interviewer: You mention an expert on dyslexia. You must know quite a lot about it yourself by now?

Kay Stanley: I do, yes, but one of the problems with dyslexia is that even the specialists don’t really understand it. They know dyslexics think in a different way from other people. Dyslexics are of above-average intelligence, they have distinctive talents and a creative imagination. But whether dyslexia has other effects on the brain or not, nobody really knows. Some people say you use a different sort of logic if you’re dyslexic, and it’s easier for you to solve problems, but it’s hard to test that.

Interviewer: And once you were diagnosed, did you start to improve?

Kay Stanley: Not immediately. At first, I was too unhappy about the whole thing, and my parents felt frustrated and confused. I knew at an early age that I wanted to become an actress, and getting school qualifications was not a priority for me. In the end, I did work hard to improve my reading skills just to show my fellow students that I was every bit as clever as they were.

Interviewer: Is it better for children with dyslexia to get special treatment?

Kay Stanley: It depends what you mean by that. I don’t think it’s a good idea to isolate them and put them in special schools because that makes them feel awkward. On the other hand, they do need extra teaching in reading and writing by teachers who understand the problem.

Interviewer: And getting back to the Stanley Trust, how do you feel you can best help the Trust? Will you be giving speeches about dyslexia in public?

Kay Stanley: I doubt it. I think the public would get tired of someone like me talking about the subject all the time. It seems to me the best thing I can do is set a good example of how dyslexics can live a normal, happy life.

Interviewer: Well, I wish you luck with that. And thank you for talking to us today.

Kay Stanley: Thank you.

Interviewer: Today I’m going to be talking to one of the most successful young actresses in Hollywood, Kay Stanley, about a special aspect of her work – one that’s not very well known on this side of the Atlantic. And that’s the Stanley Trust. Kay, welcome to the programme. Would you start by explaining what the Stanley Trust is?

Kay Stanley: Sure. It’s basically an organisation set up by my father to help kids who have problems reading and writing – kids with dyslexia. I’m dyslexic myself, you see, and after I had been diagnosed, my dad realised there weren’t many organisations for dyslexic kids, and he decided to set one up himself a few years later.

Interviewer: I believe one of the problems with dyslexia is that it isn’t diagnosed in many cases, or not early enough. Was this what happened with you?

Kay Stanley: I used to learn stories off by heart by playing the tapes of them over and over again, and then pretend to read them. In fact, I was so good at it that my mum only guessed there was something wrong when she caught me learning the stories like that! Then my parents got me examined by a doctor, and luckily, he knew something about dyslexia, so he sent me to an expert. He said I’m pretty fortunate because my condition is less severe. compared to other people with dyslexia.

Interviewer: You mention an expert on dyslexia. You must know quite a lot about it yourself by now?

Kay Stanley: I do, yes, but one of the problems with dyslexia is that even the specialists don’t really understand it. They know dyslexics think in a different way from other people. Dyslexics are of above-average intelligence, they have distinctive talents and a creative imagination. But whether dyslexia has other effects on the brain or not, nobody really knows. Some people say you use a different sort of logic if you’re dyslexic, and it’s easier for you to solve problems, but it’s hard to test that.

Interviewer: And once you were diagnosed, did you start to improve?

Kay Stanley: Not immediately. At first, I was too unhappy about the whole thing, and my parents felt frustrated and confused. I knew at an early age that I wanted to become an actress, and getting school qualifications was not a priority for me. In the end, I did work hard to improve my reading skills just to show my fellow students that I was every bit as clever as they were.

Interviewer: Is it better for children with dyslexia to get special treatment?

Kay Stanley: It depends what you mean by that. I don’t think it’s a good idea to isolate them and put them in special schools because that makes them feel awkward. On the other hand, they do need extra teaching in reading and writing by teachers who understand the problem.

Interviewer: And getting back to the Stanley Trust, how do you feel you can best help the Trust? Will you be giving speeches about dyslexia in public?

Kay Stanley: I doubt it. I think the public would get tired of someone like me talking about the subject all the time. It seems to me the best thing I can do is set a good example of how dyslexics can live a normal, happy life.

Interviewer: Well, I wish you luck with that. And thank you for talking to us today.

Kay Stanley: Thank you.

Interviewer: Today I’m going to be talking to one of the most successful young actresses in Hollywood, Kay Stanley, about a special aspect of her work – one that’s not very well known on this side of the Atlantic. And that’s the Stanley Trust. Kay, welcome to the programme. Would you start by explaining what the Stanley Trust is?

Kay Stanley: Sure. It’s basically an organisation set up by my father to help kids who have problems reading and writing – kids with dyslexia. I’m dyslexic myself, you see, and after I had been diagnosed, my dad realised there weren’t many organisations for dyslexic kids, and he decided to set one up himself a few years later.

Interviewer: I believe one of the problems with dyslexia is that it isn’t diagnosed in many cases, or not early enough. Was this what happened with you?

Kay Stanley: I used to learn stories off by heart by playing the tapes of them over and over again, and then pretend to read them. In fact, I was so good at it that my mum only guessed there was something wrong when she caught me learning the stories like that! Then my parents got me examined by a doctor, and luckily, he knew something about dyslexia, so he sent me to an expert. He said I’m pretty fortunate because my condition is less severe. compared to other people with dyslexia.

Interviewer: You mention an expert on dyslexia. You must know quite a lot about it yourself by now?

Kay Stanley: I do, yes, but one of the problems with dyslexia is that even the specialists don’t really understand it. They know dyslexics think in a different way from other people. Dyslexics are of above-average intelligence, they have distinctive talents and a creative imagination. But whether dyslexia has other effects on the brain or not, nobody really knows. Some people say you use a different sort of logic if you’re dyslexic, and it’s easier for you to solve problems, but it’s hard to test that.

Interviewer: And once you were diagnosed, did you start to improve?

Kay Stanley: Not immediately. At first, I was too unhappy about the whole thing, and my parents felt frustrated and confused. I knew at an early age that I wanted to become an actress, and getting school qualifications was not a priority for me. In the end, I did work hard to improve my reading skills just to show my fellow students that I was every bit as clever as they were.

Interviewer: Is it better for children with dyslexia to get special treatment?

Kay Stanley: It depends what you mean by that. I don’t think it’s a good idea to isolate them and put them in special schools because that makes them feel awkward. On the other hand, they do need extra teaching in reading and writing by teachers who understand the problem.

Interviewer: And getting back to the Stanley Trust, how do you feel you can best help the Trust? Will you be giving speeches about dyslexia in public?

Kay Stanley: I doubt it. I think the public would get tired of someone like me talking about the subject all the time. It seems to me the best thing I can do is set a good example of how dyslexics can live a normal, happy life.

Interviewer: Well, I wish you luck with that. And thank you for talking to us today.

Kay Stanley: Thank you.