The Dyslexic Advantage (34 page)

Because these feelings of isolation can be so severe, relationships with other individuals with dyslexia can be extremely liberating and empowering. As Ben put it, “When you meet another dyslexic, it's like you're immigrants meeting in a new land. You instantly know important things about each other, and that experience of being from the same country is incredibly powerful.”

Ben's vision for building community among dyslexics has led him to found a peer membership organization called Headstrong Nation (
www.headstrongnation.org
). Ben explains, “We need someplace beside the special ed trailer out back of the school where dyslexics can meet to congregate. The underlying sense of isolation, and the need for information about learning accommodations and practical advice for work—all of those are shared experiences, so why don't we get together and share them? That's what Headstrong is trying to do.”

This vision of bringing dyslexic individuals together is one we deeply share. At our Dyslexic Advantage website, individuals with dyslexia—as well as their families, friends, and the professionals who care for them—can all find important information and a sense of community. On the site we've posted video interviews with many remarkable individuals with dyslexia; reviews of curricula, schools, educational software, and technology devices; discussion forums for dyslexic individuals in different professions; and further resources for parents, educators, and others.

Another valuable form of support for dyslexic individuals is the advice and guidance of other dyslexic individuals who've struggled—and succeeded—at similar jobs. This is true not only at the start of one's career but at any point where difficulties are encountered. For the last two years Professor Julie Logan—along with the British Dyslexia Association, Dyslexia Scotland, and the Cass Business School—has been involved in establishing a mentorship program in the United Kingdom for working adults with dyslexia. Dr. Logan described this program to us:

“Basically, we pair a very successful dyslexic who's already established in his or her career—and who's been through the same problems—with a dyslexic who's in need of support.” Initially, we expected that most of the dyslexic individuals asking for mentors would be in their twenties—in their first job or just coming out of university. But the average applicant turned out to be much, much older—almost twice what we expected. One reason for this is that in the United Kingdom, at least, people are finding out they're dyslexic quite late in life; so they're joining our program because they realize, ‘Now I know what my problem is, perhaps I can get help, and perhaps I can get on in my career.'

“Often, they've been struggling because they keep making the same mistakes again and again. For example, one woman was going through this cycle: because she had low self-esteem, she would push herself really, really hard; then she would get promoted, but she would quit almost immediately because she couldn't cope with all the new responsibilities that came with the promotion. Like a lot of our mentees, she had this tremendous desire to prove that she wasn't sick or stupid, and that she could do everything, but it worked to her detriment. What we've been able to do for her is put her with a mentor who understands what she's going through from personal experience. That mentor has taught her strategies, and how to pace herself, and how not to push herself so hard, and how to value what she's achieved so far. As a result of that mentorship, she's been promoted to a customer account manager position, and she's been able to cope.”
¹

A final issue that all individuals with dyslexia must deal with is whether or not to disclose their dyslexia to employers and co-workers, either at the time of the initial interview or on the job. This question often provokes strong opinions from advocates on both sides of the issue, and there's probably not one answer that's right for all individuals in all jobs. One thing, however, is absolutely clear: by law, disclosure is not required, so all individuals with dyslexia can decide for themselves whether or not to disclose. The following considerations may be helpful in making this decision.

In an ideal world, individuals with dyslexia would never need to conceal their dyslexia, because their employers and co-workers would understand what we've explained in this book: that dyslexia is associated with strengths as well as challenges, and that individuals with dyslexia have abilities that can be useful in almost any kind of job. Unfortunately, our world hasn't yet reached that ideal state, and ignorance keeps some employers leery of giving individuals with dyslexia a chance to prove their worth. That's why individuals with dyslexia have traditionally been counseled
not
to disclose their dyslexia in job interviews—especially when seeking an entry-level position or a first job. Professor Julie Logan expressed this view when she told us, “Letting people know that you're dyslexic doesn't always work for everyone—especially people who are employed by others—because there's still a lot of prejudice about dyslexia.”

Ben Foss shared a different opinion. “We can get fixated on this question of disclosure, but the question is really context: should you provide people with context for understanding your dyslexia? And the answer is almost always yes. In general, it's much better to know right up front that a potential employer is a bigot, so you can go somewhere else. Otherwise, you'll have to deal with that prejudice later, after you've already accepted the job—and that usually ends badly.”

Ben's preference for disclosure was formed when he was in professional school. “My own sense of strength and comfort with my dyslexia came through meeting other people with disabilities—mostly people with physical disabilities.” At Stanford Business School I had a remarkable classmate named Mark Breimhorst. Mark was born with no hands, and he's also paralyzed on the left side of his face, so he can't smile and he can't wink, and Mark understood that those things are unnerving to some people. So during the first week of business school, Mark sent out an e-mail to everyone in which he provided context for how to deal with him. He wrote: ‘My name is Mark. When you meet me, you'll see that I have no hands. If I extend my arm, shake my wrist. When class is over, I don't need your help carrying my bag out: I brought it in.' And in all these ways Mark gave us context for how to interact with him, and that made everything so much easier.

“Mark also helped me see how these kinds of steps could be helpful for someone with dyslexia. When Mark found out that I was dyslexic, he invited me to be on a panel for our classmates to discuss disabilities. At first I felt self-conscious because I didn't have a physical disability, and I'd never talked about my dyslexia in public before. But Mark was adamant. His view was that we were all going to be future leaders, so we should help our colleagues learn what disabilities are all about, so they'd have the right context for dealing with other individuals who are different. And he was right. I learned a tremendous amount from Mark about how to deal appropriately with my challenges. By the time I left school and went to work for Intel, it was easy for me to say right up front, ‘I'm dyslexic. Here is some context on me and this is what I can do well.'”

When enough individuals with dyslexia are willing, like Ben, to step out and show skeptics how capable dyslexics can be, it will become easier for all dyslexics to be open about their challenges in the workplace. But for now, the decision to inform others about one's dyslexia must remain a personal one.

While disclosure is often difficult for individuals with dyslexia who are employed by other people, for individuals who are self-employed the risk/ reward calculation often leans more toward disclosure. According to Julie Logan, “When people are their own bosses, letting other people know that they're dyslexic isn't usually a problem. Many of the dyslexic entrepreneurs with whom we work are very open about the fact that they can't spell, for example, and I think those sorts of disclosures help, because by being quite open about their issues and weaknesses, they actually make people want to help them. For example, when they send their e-mails, if they tell people they're dyslexic and that's the source of whatever errors there may be in their writing, the recipients don't worry that their business skills are similarly haphazard and start condemning their business persona. One of our very successful dyslexics recently sent out an e-mail that could have been taken as quite rude because of an error she made, but fortunately at the end of all her e-mails there's a little caveat in her signature that says, ‘These e-mails won't be spelled right because I'm dyslexic.' That sort of disclosure is often quite helpful.”

T
hroughout this book, we've tried to answer the question, What does it really mean to “be dyslexic”?

As we've explored this question, we've learned that “being dyslexic” involves much more than having “a disorder of reading and spelling.” Ultimately, being dyslexic means that you have a nervous system that's built to work differently—and it's been built to work differently because there are remarkable advantages to having a brain that works in this way.

Early in this book we used several metaphors to illustrate the relationship between strengths and challenges in dyslexia. We'd now like to share a final metaphor that illustrates our view of dyslexia as a very different, but equally valuable, way of processing information.

Imagine that you arrive for an appointment at a nicely furnished office and are asked to wait for a few moments. As you take a seat, you notice a variety of knickknacks on the table beside you. Curious, you begin to look them over, and your eye is caught by a long, thin, glasslike rod, triangular across its short axis. You pick it up, examine it, and notice that it's translucent. You wonder if it's a lens of some sort—perhaps a magnifying glass—so you hold it closer and try to look through it. But no matter how you manipulate it, it fails to improve your vision. Eventually you grow frustrated with this seemingly worthless piece of glass; but as you reach to set it down, it passes through a beam of light from the office window. Suddenly, a flash of brilliant rainbow colors appears on the surface of the table beneath the rod. In that instant, you realize that the rod in your hand isn't a defective lens but a perfectly functioning prism.

Like this prism, the dyslexic mind has provoked attention and interest, but its true nature and purpose have been missed. It's been evaluated for its clarity and accuracy as a lens, and found wanting. Yet if we study the dyslexic mind carefully, we'll find that its true excellence is its ability to reveal many things that are hard for “normal” minds to see.

The true importance of the dyslexic mind lies in its MIND strengths. While not every individual with dyslexia enjoys all the MIND strengths, most show one or more of these important abilities, and these strengths often provide the keys to their success.

In emphasizing these strengths, we have no wish to downplay the very real challenges that individuals with dyslexia face—and in many cases, the actual suffering they experience. But as we said at the beginning of this book, “suffering from dyslexia” is suffering of a very special kind. Rather than the suffering of a person with an incurable disease, it's the suffering of a hero on a perilous but promising quest.

Perhaps the hero who best represents this dyslexic quest is Aragorn, from J. R. R. Tolkien's
The Lord of the Rings.
Early in the Ring saga, Aragorn seems little more than a wandering vagrant. Yet he is the rightful heir to the throne of Gondor and destined one day to be king. Aragorn's fate is foretold in the lines of an ancient prophecy, which reminds us that all things are not as they first appear, that royal natures are sometimes hidden beneath rags:

If you are an individual with dyslexia, this prophecy is also for you. Although you may not “glitter” in the classroom, if the promise of your future can sustain you through the challenges you face, your intellect will be forged as keen as any blade.