When I was asked to write this article, one particular conversation came to mind. In the early years of my career, I was on a work night out chatting to a copywriter, and somehow, we stumbled onto the subject of dyslexia. He turned to me and said, ‘I used to be dyslexic’. Confused, I asked him to repeat that, thinking I'd misheard him, but I hadn’t, he really was saying he used to be dyslexic.

Was, not is. He said that as a writer he knew he couldn't be dyslexic, he had to ‘rewire his brain out of it’.

This conversation made me feel many things (which may or may not have been enhanced by the questionable house wine I’d been consuming at the time) but mostly it made me feel sad and transported me back to a time when all I felt was embarrassed about being dyslexic.

To put it in perspective for my non-dyslexic readers, imagine having an arch-nemesis in very simple words like ‘because’ or ‘necessary’ and having to make up numerous little rhymes to help remember what order the letters go in (‘Big Elephants Can’t Always Use Small Exits’, B.E.C.A.U.S.E)

I’d love to say I’d never asked my friends to proofread every piece of work before I shared it internally, or how I’d lie and pretend I didn’t take notes in client meetings because I didn’t want anyone to see my handwritten nonsense that was only eligible to me. Or how I would magically be late to every workshop, so I’d never be asked to be the note taker in front of clients. I’d rather be seen as sloppy than illiterate - which of course, writing this article proves I’m not - but I’d rather my clients thought of me as a bit scatty and always running late than see my dyslexia. 

So, I get why my colleague wanted to think his dyslexia was curable, I’d spent a long time trying to hide mine. It has taken me a long time to realise that just because I can’t spell, doesn’t mean I’m stupid. And even longer to release that my dyslexia isn’t a weakness but a strength I can, and do, use to my advantage.

One thing that helped me come to grips with seeing my dyslexia as a strength and not something that holds me back, is one of the very first campaigns I ever worked on in advertising. ‘Made by Dyslexia’ is a charity that works to help the world understand the value of dyslexia. Did you know that in 2016 one of Britain's largest sperm banks had been turning away donors with dyslexia in what they described as an attempt to “minimise the risk of transmitting common genetic diseases or malformations to any children born”? So we created the world’s first Dyslexic Sperm Bank because dyslexia isn’t a disease.

When you look back through history and see what dyslexic thinkers have done and achieved, you can see it’s a clear advantage. John Lennon might have also struggled with his spelling but that didn’t stop him from writing ‘Imagine’ or many other Beatles hits. I’d love to say this perception and attitude that is outrageously damaging has been left in the past, but frankly, I wouldn’t have been asked to write this article if it was, would I? Dyslexia in itself has a giant reputational issue both in how society views it and in the types of dyslexia people have (no, it isn’t just spelling like me). It comes in many forms, all of which need support in different ways.

Now I see my dyslexia for what it is, an advantage. Yes, my spelling is awful, and I miss typos because my brain simply doesn’t register them. But I’m great at problem-solving, at finding a different angle to an age-old challenge and I can make big lateral jumps with ease to inspire creatives in new ways on what might be deemed a bit of a dull brief. I won’t say it’s all plain sailing, yes it's annoying at times but once I stop letting my ability to spell define myself worth my confidence grew in leaps and bounds

Dyslexic adults rarely are offered support or tools to help them in the workplace, we’re so used to masking our struggles and our hidden tips and tricks that it becomes second nature. But more needs to be done to create environments that bring out the best of our skill sets. Yes, there are also some amazing practical tools you can use that help; Grammarly is a lifesaver, along with word’s ‘read aloud function’ but I’m very grateful for having a supportive team around me that are always more than willing to take time out to help. Small things like not having your colleagues call out silly spelling mistakes or berate you for typos make a huge difference in your confidence levels. 

But the tool I found the most helpful was to reframe my thinking to see my dyslexia for the strength that it is, not to try and rewire my brain to “cure it”. If given the choice I wouldn’t give it up, even if it meant I could spell ‘because’ without saying aloud ‘Big Elephants Can’t Always Use Small Exits’.