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Seeing the World Differently

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see the world differently? 

Those with a learning disability called dyslexia do this everyday. Dyslexia affects a person’s phonological awareness, making it challenging to learn to read and write. However, people with dyslexia show above average gifts in big picture thinking, creativity, and perspective taking.

It is important to illuminate the need for awareness and appreciation for the unique qualities that people with dyslexia can possess.

What is it like to live with dyslexia?

Imagine that you are sitting in a third-grade classroom. The teacher passes out a piece of paper and tells the class that they will have a timed writing practice on the chapter they just read.

For the average student, this might be nerve-racking, but doable. For a student with dyslexia, however, this task feels impossible. 

Time limits work directly against delayed memory retrieval. The average student develops timed writing and memory retrieval skills naturally. The average student will go on to check off all of the boxes in the knowledge development process, such as knowledge acquisition, storage, distribution, and use. (Founder, T.) In the meantime, students with dyslexia anxiously fade into the background, slowly slipping through the cracks of this broken learning approach.

This is just one example of how a person with dyslexia may struggle in traditional settings.

The Advantages of Dyslexia

While reading and writing are vital to a student's development, there is much more to learning and working. It is important to be able to expand your approach, think outside of the box—be creative.

Why would the student who fell through the cracks of the primary school system make an exceptional professional? 

A story can be told in a variety of ways and reach the same conclusion. As a professional, especially one who writes alot, it is to easy find yourself in a repetitive writing pattern, resulting in only reaching a limited target audience.

Despite obstacles, writers with dyslexia still write because they see all the ways there are to tell a story. There is a gap in society's understanding of the unique gifts a learner with dyslexia may possess and how they may have qualities that a naturally-gifted learner might lack.

Capitalizing on Strengths

The workplace would benefit from recognizing and capitalizing on the strengths of people with dyslexia rather than just working around or using tools to bypass their weaknesses.

Harvard instructor and author of the Bezos Blueprint, Carmine Gallo, says in his Inc.com article, "Thanks to neuroscience research, we know that the human mind needs to see the big picture before getting immersed in the details. The simpler the image of what you're trying to accomplish, the easier it is for your listener to buy in." (Inc.com) Luckily, simplicity doesn't have to limit potential.

World-famous billionaire and entrepreneur Richard Branson, who happens to have dyslexia, has emphasized how he doesn't even consider a deal unless one can first explain it on a cocktail napkin. This type of big picture thinking is an incredibly simple yet progressive advantage in the workplace.

Despite the untraditional cognitive processes of someone diagnosed with dyslexia, the workplace could be enhanced by the unique qualities these individuals bring to their teams.

Sources

Founder, T. (2022, April 2). What is the knowledge development process? - things you should know. TODAY FOUNDER. Retrieved October 20, 2022, from https://todayfounder.com/what-is-the-knowledge-development-process/ 

Inc.com. (n.d.). Why great ideas like Southwest Airlines can fit on a napkin. Why Great Ideas Like Southwest Airlines Can Fit on a Napkin. Retrieved October 20, 2022, from https://www.inc.com/carmine-gallo/the-story-behind-southwest-airlines-cocktail-napkin-is-best-pitch-advice-you-might-ever-get.html