How to manage your dyslexia in the workplace?

Albert Einstein, the most influential physicist of the 20th century, during his primary education disliked grammar and always had problems with spelling. The headmaster of Albert’s school suggested he should attend a special school and his teachers reportedly declared him as borderline intellectually impaired. Thomas Edison, one of the most prolific inventors, only attended school for a short time. When a teacher referred to him as being "mentally confused", his mother withdrew Thomas and home-schooled him. F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby one of the most famous novels, was expelled from school at the age of 12. He had problems with focusing and finishing his tasks.

What connects three famous people? They all had dyslexia. It's obvious that while these inspiring people have faced many difficulties during early education, but they have all been able to access their potential and bring it forth in the world. 

If you are struggling with this problem too, you should know that you are not alone. This problem affects 15% of the world's population. The numbers of women and men who have dyslexia are about the same. Children don't outgrow dyslexia, they should work harder than their peers to develop literacy skills. That's why dyslexics can achieve spectacular success in their professional lives. They are hard workers who don’t discourage if the positive effects of work are not visible immediately.

To understand what dyslexia is, watch the video below. You can find more info on The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity website: https://www.dyslexia.yale.edu/. 

Adults with dyslexia usually know how to help themselves, but in the work environment, they are facing challenges all the time. Because of this, they should upgrade skills all the time. However, when problems caused by dyslexia appear at work, this can undermine an individual’s confidence and trust in his or her skills and abilities. This translates into low self-esteem and a lot of different problems. You can build your effectiveness at work and thus confidence when you understand your learning difficulties.

See below for more tips & suggestions about how to manage your dyslexia:

1. If possible, be upfront and honest about your dyslexia! It is nothing to be ashamed of! Most countries have regulations to protect people with learning difficulties from workplace discrimination. Dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence and dyslexic individuals are often very bright and creative workers. 
2. Adjust your computer settings. Not everyone realizes that certain fonts can make it easier for dyslexic people to read text on a computer screen. OpenDyslexic is such a font type. The font has been published under a free license - Creative Commons Attribution. You can adjust your screen background color to reduce distractions. You also can use colors while creating notes, this helps in the learning process.
3. Become a student again. All programs about touch-typing could be very good for you. This can help you write faster and with greater accuracy. Learning a foreign language can be a challenge for you, but it is worth trying different learning methods. Did you hear about the Orton-Gillingham Approach? This is a way to teach reading, writing, and spelling when it doesn’t come easily. It works well for both children and adults. You can find a lot of different learning methods, adapted to your abilities.
4. Try to use audiobooks, apps, or online tools! Here you can find much more information’s about Tools & Technology: https://dyslexia.yale.edu/resources/tools-technology/ 
5. Plan extra time during work. Time is a major factor at work and knowing how to wield your schedule means allotting extra hours for tasks that may take longer to complete with dyslexia. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, stay organized, and manage your tasks wisely. 
6. Make it simple! Use more charts and diagrams. You may find that it’s easier to process information if you turn tables into charts. Dyslexics do best when directions are simple. They often get confused and frustrated with a long list of "to-dos", so when you are dealing with the complicated task, always prepare a list of priorities and try to simplify it as much as possible. Dividing the task implementation into several stages can also help you.

In conclusion, I would like to tell about dyslexic gifts. Dyslexics have an excellent comprehension of the stories read or told them. Most dyslexics often have a better sense of spatial and better use of their right brain. They have excellent thinking skills in the areas of conceptualization, imagination, and abstraction. Also, they have a strong ability to see concepts with a "big picture" perspective. Dyslexics tend to be more curious, creative, and intuitive than average. Dyslexics’ special mode of thought easily produces the gift of mastery.

So having this type of employee in the team is a huge advantage, isn't it?