ELSMERE, Ky. — Ordering lunch seems like a simple task, but for Serena Owen, reading a menu can be overwhelming. She has dyslexia.

Like millions of Americans, Owen wasn’t diagnosed until she was an adult. Her own children who struggled with learning disadvantages, and seeing them led her back into the classroom to get a bachelor’s degree in business and law.

“Now, knowing that there are more resources and accommodations, I’m actually excited,” she said. “Now, I feel like I can do this.”

According to Discovery ABA Therapy, more than 40 million American adults have dyslexia, with only two million of them receiving an actual diagnosis.

Owen attended Northern Kentucky University in the early ‘90s, when she received an associate degree in business and a master’s in education. As an educator, she said she has picked up tips and tricks to manage her dyslexia.

“Teaching with learning disabilities was also a challenge, but I understood my students, especially the adults who had learning disabilities,” she said. “I got them.”

Students can come to the testing service center or the Office of Accessibility to take their exams or receive help if needed.

“When students come in, they have a problem, and we’re able to fix it for them,” said Alexis Ross of NKU’s Office of Accessibility.

Owen said none of this would be possible without the services NKU has provided.

“This is where it all began, as far as getting support and how to be successful as a student,” she said. “So I’m really grateful.”

When she’s not at school, she’s serving the community. What started out as a residential volunteer role turned into an elected councilwoman position for the City of Elsmere.

Owen said she wanted to serve and show it’s possible to live out dreams, no matter the circumstances. 

“There are resources, and if they believe it, they can achieve it,” she said.