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One of the things we want to achieve through our Go Red for Dyslexia campaign- one of the greater aims of Dyslexia Awareness Month at large- is to foster a world where nobody feels like they have to hide that they have dyslexia.
But it’s not always that simple. Although we all want to live in a world where we can be free and open about our neurodiverse differences and what we need support-wise, the reality is that many of us still keep dyslexia a secret well into our adult years. We might do this because we fear that we may face difficulties or consequences for it. This might be at work, enjoying our hobbies, or even in our day-to-day social interactions. Or we might just feel that it’s something we’d rather not discuss in terms of its relation to ourselves- because although we’re coming on in leaps and bounds in terms of awareness, positivity and inclusivity, prejudices still hold fast in some places and people, and it can make us feel vulnerable and observed.
Disclosing your dyslexia should always be your own decision. The waters do get muddy for some experts in the dyslexia community when we encounter younger people and learners who want to keep their dyslexia under wraps and create barriers between themselves and education support; but the truth remains the same: nobody should feel like they’re inferior in any way because of it, or have to fear any consequences.
As an adult, you should never feel forced to open up, whether that’s to your employer or to your social group. But something we do need to reflect on is that when somebody doesn’t disclose that they have dyslexia and reach out for support in a given situation, it’s likely to be because of a pressing factor – and by better understanding these factors and how they create stress for people with dyslexia, it often gives us a direct line to something that we may need to reflect on as a community, an individual, and as an organisation.
So... why might somebody choose to keep their dyslexia a secret?
🤫 Reason 1: They might feel like it’s going to harm their chances of seeing a job offer or a career progression.
What it’s telling us: their workplace (or prospective workplace) come across as not optimised for dyslexic (or other neurodivergent) talent. They’re not seeing good examples- people who think and work differently getting promotions and accolades, and they’re not seeing a welcoming support network of assistive tech and responsibility adjustments in their everyday work or the media they're seeing come out of the organisation. Support doesn’t just need to be at the end of an MS Teams call in 2022, it requires employers to be proactive about offering it too – it’s time to send out emails to all employees about adjustments that could improve their working quality of life, as well as take a close look at internal progression structures.
🤫 Reason 2: They think it reflects badly on perceptions of their intelligence or their education.
What it’s telling us: Even in 2022, there are still huge, widespread prejudices around dyslexia and misconceptions about how it impacts on people. We know that dyslexia has no reflection on intelligence and there are millions of dyslexic minds all over the world doing amazing things every day. But for many years, it was a widely held and completely erroneous belief that dyslexia meant somebody wasn’t smart, but nothing could be further from the truth. This one’s telling us that we need to work even harder to destroy these negative stereotypes, as well as demand better representation to better inform popular opinion – this means more characters with dyslexia, more celebs being open about their dyslexia, and more talk about dyslexia on mainstream info channels.
🤫 Reason 3: They’re embarrassed, or may even feel like dyslexia represents some kind of personal failing on their part.
What it’s telling us: misinformation about dyslexia is still rife. We still see this idea distressingly commonly, and especially in older generations – that dyslexia is a personal failing somehow, a moral problem that had somebody worked harder they could have ‘got over’ or ‘just dealt with’. Statements like this ignore the fundamental way in which dyslexia can impact on learning if left unsupported, as well as blames the individual for the lack of support they might have encountered whilst growing up, learning or moving into the workplace. Again, this one’s a case of needing better information and representation out there in the world, available to all – and starting from an early age, we need to educate about what dyslexia is and isn’t.
🤫 Reason 4: They might feel like it’ll foster some kind of social exclusion for them.
What it's telling us: This one’s complex - it's telling us something we know, that misinformation and half-truths about dyslexia can even find a place in the structures closest to us, our friends and families. It's also telling us that we might need to be the ones to flip the switch here if we want to see immediate change, which sometimes feels like a heavy responsibility, and one we shouldn't really have to shoulder.
People with dyslexia often feel isolated or excluded from the writing-heavy way that many of us live our lives – so much so that the idea of that then bleeding into social and friendship spheres might feel like a constant fear. They might fear that somebody starting a reading group or a watch party for the movie version of a popular book could decide that there’s little point inviting the friend with dyslexia, as it’s a common (totally untrue, by the way) belief that people with dyslexia can’t or dislike to read; or even just that it’s pointless sending a long message to them because they’ll struggle to decode it.
This one means that somebody has little confidence in their friendship group’s knowledge– so if you’re comfortable, it might be time to start a conversation. Focus on what works for you, exploring what people can do practically. Talk about how you read and the tech you use to support yourself, what’s a problem and what isn’t when it comes to the written word - it’s likely to lead to a better landscape of communication for all.
