From 'Learning Disabled' to AI Educator – Discovering How AI Can Transform Learning Journeys
- Brainz Magazine
- 7 days ago
- 7 min read
Lawrence E. Dumas Jr. is an Executive Brand & Communications Strategist, Army veteran, and travel experience specialist who uses storytelling, digital marketing, and AI to help people design meaningful, memory-building experiences in life.
As a child, I was diagnosed with ADHD and a learning disability. Along with the labels came recommendations, interventions, and a stack of medications that were supposed to help me “focus” and “function.” I refused to take them. Not because I was rebellious for the sake of it, but because something in me knew something important. The problem wasn’t my mind. The problem was that the system didn’t know how to teach it.
My brain didn’t move in straight lines. It moved in scenes, patterns, and connections closer to a film edit than a textbook. For a long time, that way of thinking was treated as a liability.
What made a critical difference in that season was my parents. My father, Lawrence, and my mother, Linda, refused to let the labels be the final word on my potential. They made sure I had tutoring, structure, and support at home, creating an environment where I could still learn, even when the school system didn’t fully understand how my mind worked. Their decision to lean in instead of give up became the first layer of the foundation I stand on today.
Today, I’m a screenwriter, a strategic communications professional, and an Executive Contributor writing about technology, creativity, and human potential. I hold a Master of Science in Digital Marketing and have designed a Student-AI Creative CodeEx Certification Course to help students learn how to use AI as a creative and cognitive ally.
I have also released my book, The Art of Generative AI Prompting, which is available on Amazon Kindle and other digital platforms. It captures the methodology I now use and teach so others can unlock the same possibilities I discovered.
This is the story behind both.
When the system doesn’t see your mind
Being labeled “different” in school can follow you well into adulthood. Traditional classrooms often reward one style of thinking, sit still, absorb, and recall. If you process information visually, kinetically, or through story, you can easily be misunderstood as:
Unfocused
Disruptive
Not “applying yourself”
In reality, many of us were already:
Connecting ideas across subjects
Seeing patterns others didn’t see
Turning complex emotions and concepts into stories and images
We didn’t have a framework or a language to show that this was intelligence.
At home, that story looked different for me. My parents made sure I wasn’t reduced to a diagnosis. They arranged extra help, kept me accountable, and gave me the kind of structure that said, “You are capable, and we’re going to figure out how you learn best.” That mix of support and expectation planted a belief in me that I carry into everything I build now. When you design the right environment, people who have been written off can thrive.
As I grew up, I pursued what made sense to my mind, film, storytelling, and communication. I learned to design narratives, build characters, and structure emotional journeys. Later, I entered the world of digital marketing and strategy, where I discovered how data, behavior, and message all intersect.
Then I encountered generative AI.
AI as a mirror, not a replacement
When I first began using generative AI, I didn’t see a threat to creativity. I saw a mirror. For the first time, I had a tool that could keep up with the speed of my thinking. I could:
Capture scattered ideas and turn them into outlines
Develop characters and stories through dialogue with the model
Break down complex tasks into clear, actionable steps
Ask questions without feeling judged for “not getting it the first time”
AI didn’t replace my creativity. It amplified it.
That realization changed everything. I stopped seeing AI as a purely technical tool. I began to see it as a creative partner, especially valuable for people like me who never fit neatly into traditional learning boxes.
From that insight, the Student-AI Creative CodeEx Certification Course was born.
A new way to learn
The Student-AI Creative CodeEx is a structured certification course I developed to help students, creatives, and emerging professionals learn how to work with AI in a human-centered and intentional way.
It is built on three core principles:
Learners are not broken, environments are misaligned. Many students don’t need to be “fixed.” They need tools, language, and methods that respect how they naturally think and create.
AI is not a shortcut. It is an amplifier. The CodeEx does not teach people to outsource their thinking to AI. Instead, it helps them:
Clarify ideas
Structure projects
Expand creativity
Improve communication skills
Creativity is a language, and AI can help translate it. Some think in visuals, others in sound, motion, metaphor, or dialogue. The CodeEx teaches participants how to translate that internal language into effective prompts and tangible outputs.
Within the course, students learn how to:
Design prompts that reflect their unique thinking style
Co-create stories, concepts, presentations, and solutions with AI
Evaluate AI outputs critically rather than accepting them unquestioningly
Use AI ethically and responsibly in creative and professional contexts
To make this experience more relatable, I introduced a character: Chatty G.
Chatty G: A character, a guide, a possibility
Chatty G is more than a clever name. It is a narrative representation of what AI can be at its best.
Instead of presenting AI as a cold, faceless system, I approached it as a screenwriter. What if learners could experience AI as a guide, curious, supportive, and focused on bringing out the best in them?
Chatty G represents:
A collaborator, not a competitor
A guide, not a gatekeeper
A creative partner that helps process ideas, not a machine that dictates answers
This character-based approach matters, especially for students who are intimidated by technology. Story lowers resistance. It restores a sense of agency.
When a learner interacts with Chatty G, they’re not just using a tool. They’re entering into a guided creative conversation. That shift can be the difference between avoidance and engagement.
For someone who was once told his mind was a problem, designing a character like Chatty G is also profoundly personal. It is a way of saying to the next generation:
“Your way of thinking belongs here. Let’s build with it, not against it.”
The art of generative AI prompting
As I watched how AI reshaped my own work and the learning journeys of those around me, I recognized a consistent gap.
We talk a lot about AI models and platforms, but not enough about the quality of the questions we ask them.
That is why I wrote The Art of Generative AI Prompting, now available on Amazon Kindle and additional digital platforms. The book distills what I have learned into a practical, accessible framework for anyone who wants to:
Communicate more clearly with AI
Design prompts that lead to meaningful, usable outcomes
Use AI as part of a creative or strategic process, not just for quick answers
Build confidence in their own thinking instead of becoming dependent on automation
At its core, the book is not just about getting better results from AI. It is about reclaiming the role of the human mind in a world of intelligent tools.
For those who connect with my story, especially those who were once told they were too much, too distracted, or not smart enough, this book is an invitation to reframe that narrative and step into a new kind of literacy.
Why this matters for leaders, educators, and innovators
AI is reshaping every sector, including education, business, healthcare, entertainment, and more. But the real revolution is not the technology itself. It is what we choose to build with it.
Here are a few implications from my journey:
Design with the margins in mind. When learning experiences are designed to include neurodivergent and highly creative minds, they tend to be more engaging and effective for everyone.
Honor the people who stand in the gap. Parents, caregivers, and mentors, like my father Lawrence and my mother Linda, often provide the unseen tutoring, structure, and encouragement that carry children through systems that do not fully understand them. Any future of AI in education should support, not replace, that human role.
Story is infrastructure. Characters like Chatty G are not marketing gimmicks. They are bridges that make complex technology emotionally accessible.
Prompting is a new form of literacy. In the same way we once learned to read and write to participate fully in society, we now need to know how to communicate with AI in ways that reflect our values, goals, and humanity.
Lived experience is strategic insight. My experiences with ADHD, learning labels, filmmaking, and digital marketing all inform how I design courses and write about AI. Your own story is not a side note, it can be a strategic advantage.
An invitation to the next chapter
I created the Student-AI Creative CodeEx Certification Course and wrote The Art of Generative AI Prompting for people who see themselves somewhere in this story:
The student who learns differently
The creative who thinks in scenes and patterns
The entrepreneur or professional who feels the world is changing faster than their training
The educator or leader who wants to harness AI without losing the human element
If you are interested in learning more, exploring certification in generative AI prompting, or bringing this kind of training into your community, classroom, or organization, I invite you to connect, reach out, and start the conversation.
The book is available now on Amazon Kindle and other digital platforms, and the Student-AI Creative CodeEx is designed to extend that learning into a guided, certifiable experience.
Because at the end of the day, this is about more than technology.
It is about giving people, especially those who were once underestimated, the tools to turn their way of thinking into their most significant asset in an AI-powered world.
Author’s note
This article is dedicated to my father, Lawrence, and my mother, Linda, who refused to let a diagnosis define my destiny and made sure I had the tutoring, structure, and support I needed when the system did not see my potential.
Read more from Lawrence E. Dumas Jr.
Lawrence E. Dumas Jr., Executive Brand Communications Strategist
Lawrence E. Dumas Jr. is an Executive Brand & Communications Strategist, travel experience specialist, and an Army combat veteran, who centers his work on one core question, "How can we help people make informed decisions that lead to better, memory-building experiences?"
