September 3, 2024 (Updated )
When Ella Porteous got feedback about misspellings at her first journalism internship, she knew she had to reveal her dyslexia diagnosis. However, the responses and support from publications can vary. She asks what writers and editors can do to offer better support for dyslexic journalists.
I was diagnosed with dyslexia when I was 10; I was at the bottom of class throughout primary school, struggling to keep up with my peers. Yet, I loved to read and write stories. All throughout my life, I’ve had to explain that, no, I do not read words backwards and that my love for reading and writing is not unusual for someone with dyslexia.
Many different symptoms make the learning difficulty unique to each individual. Dyslexia can result in concentration issues, task avoidance, forgetfulness, and confusion with words, to name but a few. For me, it affects my processing skills, spelling, and memory — but this could be the complete opposite for someone else.
And so, in 2023, I found myself at my first editorial internship at DIVA Magazine, a publication aimed at LGBTQ+ women and non-binary people. After feedback about my spelling at the end of my first week, I revealed to deputy editor Nic Crosara, that although I try my hardest to correct my spelling mistakes, my dyslexia can make it difficult.
I was extremely nervous about the conversation — but thankfully Nic and the rest of the DIVA team were wonderfully supportive, stressing that any adjustments I needed could be put in place.
Natalie Brooks, founder of Dyslexia in Adults (L), and Nic Crosara, deputy editor of DIVA Magazine (R)
Speaking to Nic again as I put together this piece, they told me: “If you want to have a diverse team, you’ll have to be prepared for everyone’s way of working to be diverse as well. A lot of our team and contributors have ADHD, autism, and dyslexia. No two people are the same — this is why it’s always important to listen to the individual’s experiences and needs.”
But sadly, this isn’t the case across the journalism industry. Despite being a protected characteristic under The Equality Act 2010, discrimination is still a significant fear for those with dyslexia and can deter many from telling their employers about their diagnosis.
There are still many myths surrounding the condition — with some viewing journalism as an odd career choice for dyslexics, despite it being a neurological difference held by one in 10 people across the UK.
While Lauren Cole-Lomas feels supported in her current role as a multimedia reporter at Surrey Live, the high-pressure environment in past roles created several challenges for her dyslexia and dyspraxia.
Speaking to Journo Resources, she recalls: “From time management down to spelling, it all had to be perfect — which isn’t easy when you’re a new journalist and you’re neurodivergent and you don’t have the extra help in place to manage those difficulties.
“I didn’t have any software that could help with spelling and you proofread as much you can… But with tight deadlines, it isn’t going to be perfect. They would read out my copy in front of my colleagues and everyone would look at me or find it funny and I’d feel really embarrassed.”
During her journalism training, Lauren mentioned she was struggling to her editor. In response, she was told to “stop using your disabilities as an excuse, you’re an intelligent girl”.
Lauren’s story is not uncommon. In fact, it’s a defining reason why so many people hide their diagnoses. Since applying for journalism jobs I’ve found myself ticking the ‘no’ box in response to where I have a disability, in fear it might affect my chances of getting the job.
I’m not the only one. In its 2018 report on dyslexia and employment, the Westminster AchieveAbility Commission found that 52 per cent of respondents experienced discrimination during the interview or selection process. Seventy-three per cent didn’t disclose their learning difficulty in their interview and, of those who did, more than half regretted it, feeling it led to discrimination.
Will Hayward is the Welsh affairs reporter at WalesOnline and while he was supported by his employer after informing them about his dyslexia, he didn’t disclose it when first applying.
It was four months into his role at the paper that he opened up and asked if he could write about his experiences working in journalism. In his piece, he talks about struggling when asked to make changes to copy verbally, or when asked to spell things aloud.
“The reason I [didn’t disclose it] wasn’t because I thought I would face prejudice, but I wanted to show that I could do the job,” Will tells Journo Resources. “We talk about accommodating people with dyslexia, but I wanted to be doing the job on my own merits. I wanted to be treated like everyone else.”
It’s a complex, nuanced, and individual decision — and some journalists see freelance journalism as a way of avoiding the risks around disclosing their needs to an employer. Yet, despite the freedom it brings, it also has challenges.
For Lauren, this was a lack of any support system. She says: “While I was freelancing [my dyslexia and dyspraxia] wasn’t really picked up on and we didn’t have those sorts of conversations around neurodivergence and adjustments.
“Even though I did mention to [publications] that I have learning difficulties, I don’t think it occurred to me to push for it because to me it was temporary. But it did cause problems.”
Employers are bound by law to make reasonable adjustments. Here are just a couple of things you could ask for as part of this:
• Voice-to-text software, such as Otter.ai or our very own JR Transcribe, can capture conversations, meetings, or instructions and write them up for you automatically.
• Text-to-voice software, such as ClaroRead or Microsoft’s Immersive Reader, can help you to better process written documents or spot errors in your work.
• Private workspaces can help to aid concentration, as can allowing remote work where possible.
• Providing summaries of key action points, instructions, and dates, in an accessible format. This should be supported with diary management and organisation software.
Very few workplaces proactively put in place support systems for adults with dyslexia — despite reasonable accommodations often being simple to implement and being required by law — which can make it exasperating to find ways to cope with workplace life.
This is what led Natalie Brooks to start Dyslexia in Adults, an online community that helps people identify their strengths and weaknesses, supports them in telling employers about their needs, and helps to open up conversations in workplaces.
Speaking to Journo Resources, Natalie says that feelings of isolation, loneliness, and frustration of being different are some of the biggest difficulties reported by people she works with.
“You’re processing information differently and that’s an uncomfortable place to be in when you don’t really understand it or how to help yourself,” she says. “That can result in a lot of confidence challenges.”
Natalie adds: “People aren’t really sure what they’re good at; they’re very clear on the dyslexic challenges that they face, but not so much on the way to set themselves in the right direction.
“There’s this narrative around dyslexics not being good writers, or they aren’t good at putting their ideas on paper. But, actually, there are lots of really successful journalists who have dyslexia. There are so many different ways you can utilise your strengths that aren’t always obvious.”
Some of the dyslexic strengths that Natalie described include complex problem-solving and narrative reasoning, as well as high levels of creativity and emotional intelligence — all traits that are massively beneficial to a career in journalism.
“I think I’m better at articulating points of view, I think I’m good at making complicated things simple, especially using language for that as I always had to be quite eloquent in how I spoke because I couldn’t write it down,” Will agrees.
However, without support, it’s difficult to identify these areas of strength — and it can sometimes feel as though the negative sides are not given enough validation. For example, Lauren and I discuss how dyslexia is often described as a “superpower”. While having a positive narrative of the learning difficulty is wonderful, it often dismisses the struggles we face.
“It can be used to your advantage, in that I think it makes you more resourceful and creative with how you cope with everyday challenges,” she explains. “But, personally for me, dyslexia and dyspraxia is a disability.”
Dyslexia does make my life more difficult, and although that is just part of who I am, I think it’s so important to acknowledge these difficulties. Editors need to understand the challenges that dyslexics face and how best to support them individually.
Having had such a positive experience surrounding disclosure early on in my career has given me the courage to speak out about my diagnosis in the future, and DIVA Magazine’s ethos is something that more publications should strive for.
The journalism industry still has a long way to go in supporting people with dyslexia, but having open conversations and raising awareness is an excellent start. Dyslexics do belong in the world of journalism — and it’s up to publications to demonstrate this.
