I am a journalist, and I have dyslexia.

(a long thread)

I make the joke myself that it’s probably not the best-suited career, reading and writing for 10 or more hours a day. But it’s been my dream since I can remember. There is a stigma around dyslexia, with people saying you can’t read, spell or use punctuation correctly.

Like any other learning disability, it’s different for everyone. I have family who still don’t believe that ‘it’s real’. I also have dyspraxia and Irlen Syndrome, which means my brain finds it harder to digest words, remember what they mean and how they form together.

I won’t bore you with logistics, but it is a REAL thing. I left the educational psychologist in near tears because some of the tests made me feel so small and stupid. My vocabulary was lower than it should be for a uni student, and I took it as ‘not up to scratch’.

I finished my degree and studied a Master’s - which I received a distinction - and studied at a university 282 miles away from my home to achieve my dream. Shorthand, which I believe to be essential for a journalist, was tough.

My dyspraxia would often make my hand react and draw a different symbol to what I was thinking. So I spent 1-2 hours, every single day without fail, practising. I passed the 120 words per minute exam and was the only one at the uni to do so.

I was honoured and lucky enough to be awarded the bursary from the @The_JDF who work tirelessly to ensure our newsrooms are diverse. Journalism is at the heart of the community, and we need to represent them in every way we can. We need everyone’s voice.

I joke that “I’m having a bad word day” and what that really means is that it’s such a struggle that simple words that I’ve read millions of times are alien to me. I just don’t know what they are. I don’t know what they mean and what happens when another word sits next to it.

I can spell simple things wrong, over and over again. But when I read the word I physically can’t see what I’ve done wrong. I mix up the meaning of some words, and I’m terrible at pronouncing them (unfortunately my colleagues have too many examples of this).

Despite that, I got a job at a local news website and loved it. I was able to use language, which I loved so much, to tell stories. Some sad and heartbreaking, others uplifting and entertaining. All of them essential.

I’m not writing this to ‘excuse’ the next time I don’t see a typo or use a comma when I shouldn’t. If you see it, tell me every time. I’m writing this as I went to university late. I didn’t think I belonged in a world full of words when they’re my biggest obstacle every day.

If I saw another journo speak out about having a learning disability, then maybe it wouldn’t have taken me so long to have confidence in myself.

And I need to do that for someone else.

I am a mentor with the @The_JDF and support, encourage and (hopefully) help prospective journo students from diverse and socio-economic backgrounds feel confident enough that they can do it too.

So, if you see a spelling mistake, or think I used the wrong word (you’re probably right), please tell me.

Tell me every single time.

Because if you don’t, and I stop writing, then dyslexia wins.

#journalism #dyslexia #journo