The Shame Of Dyslexic

Why it's scary to admit you're dyslexic (and one tip that helped me)

I was chatting with a friend yesterday. They’d asked to sit down and talk about dyslexia, theirs, and their child's. It made me realise (again) how much we dyslexics share in common, and how much of it we hide.

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This felt like an appointment image for today’s new letter. My pal Stue had a dunk during a deep swim back in May 2020

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“It’s like coming out,” they said.

And yeah, it is. Scary, vulnerable, downright terrifying sometimes.

I opened my email and showed them the footer I add to every message:

Expect BIG ideas and small typos. This was sent with a wee smattering of dyslexia.

That little line is my way of saying: Hi, I'm Mike. My normal might not be your normal. And yeah, sometimes words won’t be spelled that good. But you know what? I don't care. I’ve got some solid ideas.

Their face looked genuinely alarmed.

“No way,” they said. “I couldn’t do that.”

And that’s when it hit me. It's not always as simple as sticking a line in your email footer. So we talked about how to start. How to edge toward being more open, to experiment, and find a version that feels true.

We landed on this: just start playing with short sentences. Write a few in your Notes app. Sit with them. Let them breathe. No pressure to share yet.

I told them that whenever I start working with someone new, a person or a company, I tell them up front what works for me and what doesn’t. I ask if there’s a way we can adapt to each other’s communication styles.

We also looked into assistive tech. There’s more than ever out there now, and integrating it can make a real difference.

They brought up AI, saying they’d heard of someone being told off for using it.

“Lazy,” people had said.

That word. Lazy.
If you're dyslexic, how many times have you heard that one? Too many, right?

To me, AI isn’t about being lazy. It's a tool. I use it to get through the slow bits, to push past the 85% mark and get things across the line. I don’t use it to copy from the internet. I use it to clarify my words. It’s like having a staff member who’s good at tidying up.

So yeah. That’s my point in writing this. If you're out there struggling, if any of this sounds like you:

I see ya. I hear ya. I feel ya.

And if this sounds like someone you know, pass it on.

I’m not trying to say this is the way. I’m just saying: here’s a way.
My way. One small step I took to start shaking off the shame.

That shame’s a nasty bugger, and it can eat you out.
But there are ways through. I truly believe that.

This was one of mine.

Till next time,

Mike

P.S. Expect big ideas and small typos. This was sent with a wee smattering of dyslexia and a lot of heart.

This was written by me, with a little help from AI to tidy it up and keep things clear.