Dear friends,
Don’t let the title decieve (deceive) you. This is not an apologie (apology) letter. This is a letter to our friends, family, bosses, coworkers, and anyone else in our lives who may not understand what it means to be dyslexic. It is so much more than just struggling with reading and writing, but even most people can’t fully understand what that is like. Having people tell you to “just” look something over? send an email? read an article? fill out this form? or the worst, filing for taxes? Being dyslexic, we can’t even begin to understand what it would be like to write and (an) email, read it once over, and then send it off. Like, does that really happen to people? Writing an email as a dyslexic looks like this: putting ideas in words, read it, check for spelling, read it, use software to double check, read it again, and again, and again, and likely 10 more times before sending it off, only to have an email in return asking we double check an email before sending it off because it had an error in it.
Other struggles we face could be directions (yes, even with maps), organization, time management, self-esteem, prioritizing, and/or working memory. Our desks can be filled with post-it note reminders, stacks of papers everywhere, alarms set to remember a meeting, and maybe lack of confidence to tell a wonderful idea we have for the upcoming project.
So when we ask for help, please know that it is with trust and confidence. It takes years to overcome the challenges we faced in school and get enough strength to ask for help when needed. Please don’t say any of the following:
- Really, you need help with that?
- You need help? but that’s easy?
- but your (you’re) so smart?
- Sure… I don’t see the point, though.
- just do it yourself?
- it’s not that hard?
- just do it really fast? Come on?
I don’t think I know another dyslexic who hasn’t been through this when simply asking for help with something. So please remember to be kind, be patience (patient), and ask how you can help. That will look different for all of us, so don’t assume that one person will need help since you have another dyslexic friend. We all have our set of challenges and strengths that come with dyslexia. Yes, dyslexia does have some strengths and maybe that is a conversation to see how we can help you!
From your dyslexic friend
Abigail Griebelbauer is a children’s book author who has made it her mission to promote neurodiverse representation and inspire young readers. She loves speaking with students, teachers, and readers alike about dyslexia, writing, and so much more. Abigail’s love for travel and adventure is reflected in her blogs and books.
Collection of blogs about travel,
authorship, dyslexia, life,
children's book and
so much more.
