What I’d like Educators to Know as an Entrepreneur with Late-Diagnosed Dyslexia

When I was at school I suspected there was something different about the way my brain was working and learning. 

I was very strong in subjects that didn’t have a lot of English, but weak in those that required large amounts of reading or writing. The thing that stood out most was that these weaknesses didn’t improve no matter how hard I worked on them, whereas with other subjects I got better the more effort I put in. I once said to my English teacher I thought I might be dyslexic, but she dismissed the idea and told me I was being “stupid” (it was the 90s).

The thing that I struggled with the most was reading aloud. I just couldn’t do it. I managed to keep my inability/slowness in reading hidden for the most part, but you can’t hide when you have to read out loud. I was very confident and happy in school, but the thought of reading in front of the class used to scare the life out of me.

Interestingly, the same teacher who told me not to be stupid when I said I thought I was dyslexic did want to help me (poorly chosen words aside). She passed my writing over to a special educational needs (SEN) teacher, but that SEN teacher also dismissed that I was dyslexic without even giving me a test. 

If either of these teachers had been more open-minded, and particularly if the SEN teacher had done a more thorough job, I think my academic experience would have been completely different. 

My late dyslexia diagnosis

It was only after I graduated from university that I was diagnosed. I was giving a presentation and was writing some notes down on paper when a colleague commented that I was displaying all the signs of dyslexia. 

It was complete validation. I had been searching for answers because, in the run-up to exams in the final year of my engineering degree, I had been one of the students that was mentoring others. It was clear I had a lot more knowledge than many of my course mates, yet in a final exam environment I couldn’t finish within the allotted time and other students were beating me by up to 20%. A classic sign of dyslexia is needing much longer in exams.

I worked hard to find my own adjustments. If I look at this positively, which is the only option as I don’t like to live in “what ifs?” it made me resourceful, empathetic and a better verbal communicator. This resourcefulness led me to start a business to make assistive technology more accessible, instead of being confined to one device. I wanted to help other people like me because, ultimately, everyone should have access to digital content. 

Building a better business based on adjustments

The biggest problem areas are still reading and writing. However, within Recite Me, the vast amount of communications I do are internal. Luckily it’s my company, so everybody has the understanding that messages will come through with grammatical errors. 

A limited attention span is a common dyslexic trait, so we try to keep meeting lengths down as much as possible, this comes with the added advantage of making our meetings much more efficient and focused. Winston Churchill was famously dyslexic. He would often refuse to have a meeting longer than 20 minutes, and if he can run an entire war operation this way, I’m confident that our business and any other company can also manage!

I also appreciate that my experience is just my own. Other people take in information differently, need more detail or will have to ask for clarity. Accommodations go both ways, so every day is about communication and compromise. 

What I want educators to know

Dyslexics often have skills in other areas. We can be big picture thinkers, empathetic, creative and great communicators. We have a lot to offer the world. However, it’s not a “superpower” in a world not built for you to succeed. Throughout education, dyslexics will come up against subjects and scenarios that will require adjustments. It’s a long time before you can leave behind the subjects you don‘t perform well in and find your passion. My hope is that educators provide dyslexics with the understanding and adjustments they need to stop them being discouraged before those passions are found.

By Ross Linnett, the CEO of Recite Me