Understanding Dyslexia: Fostering growth through awareness and simple adjustments

Today marks the start of Dyslexia Gibraltar’s Awareness Week with a series of events taking place, including a flag day tomorrow where everyone is encouraged to wear red and learn something new about dyslexia.

“Dyslexia is just a word that we use to explain that the brain works differently,” said Stuart Byrne from Dyslexia Gibraltar.

And that has its advantages, he explained, “being able to see things from different perspectives and different angles, and problem-solving, visualising.”

“Dyslexics often go into customer services and people-related industries because they can think outside the box and relate to other people.”

‘They have a lot of empathy.”

In addition, a person with dyslexia is a great addition to the workplace, he said, as they have very good spatial awareness, and it is good for business to tap into those skills.

He notes that there has been a shift within the dyslexia charities. Previously, they used to talk a lot about the limitations or the struggles with reading, writing or spelling.

“Now we're trying to say, ‘Look, these are the advantages’.”

“These are the advantages. These are the skills. These are the things that you want in your workplace.”

“Try to utilise them. Take advantage. You've got skillful people in your workplace, and you're just demoralising them and they're leaving.”

“And imagine an office with no dyslexics. How boring,” he added.

Dyslexia Awareness Week
October as Dyslexia Awareness Month and, locally, the charity raises awareness over a dedicated week which this year runs from October 7 to October 13. The focal point of this effort includes activities such as wearing red, flag days, and encouraging people and organisations to show their support by posting on social media.

Wearing red is part of the global "Go Red for Dyslexia" campaign, which aims to reclaim the colour red, often associated with negative feedback in schools, such as red marks on mistakes, and turn it into a positive symbol of awareness and understanding for dyslexic individuals.

The campaign helps raise awareness about dyslexia, encouraging better understanding and adaptations, with the aim to not only support dyslexic individuals but to educate the wider community, including teachers, employers, and even families, about the specific challenges and strengths associated with dyslexia.

Awareness is crucial because, despite progress in understanding dyslexia, there are still many misconceptions and dyslexic individuals often face difficulties in school due to traditional teaching methods that may not align with how they learn best.

Educating teachers and employers on how to support dyslexic individuals can greatly improve their experience and outcomes.

“There are so many misconceptions, myths and misunderstandings and a lack of knowledge of what dyslexia is,” said Mr Byrne.

Noting that “it's important because if you understand a person, it's easier for you to deal with that person. The more we understand each other, the easier it is to get along, work with each other, live with each other.”

Dyslexia is not a disability but a different way of processing information, often marked by strengths such as creativity, problem-solving, and the ability to see things from different perspectives. However, these strengths are often overshadowed by struggles with reading, writing, and memory.

He explained, so that parents, partners and work colleagues can understand, that sometimes “for a dyslexic to read a page, it's gonna take them, I don't know, not double, maybe three times, the amount of effort, time and energy to read that page then it’s a non-dyslexic. By the end of the day, they can be exhausted.”

Practical ways employers can help is by educating themselves through resources like podcasts, training programs, or workplace assessments all available through the charity.

Creating an inclusive work environment helps dyslexic employees feel comfortable disclosing their condition and enables employers to utilise their unique strengths, ultimately fostering a more diverse and productive team.

“The more you educate yourself, the more you'll understand... The more you understand dyslexia, the more you'll realize how you can put things in place to assist your staff,” said Mr Byrne.
“Employers shouldn't treat everybody the same. Equally, yes, but not the same,” he added.

Wearing red and posting on social media is a visible way for businesses to show support for dyslexic people, but there are many others, said Mr Byrne.

And while it is important for businesses to make sure employees or future employees know they are dyslexic-friendly, it is also important for the clients of those businesses to know they will be served with respect and understanding.

Mr Byrne noted that no two dyslexics are the same, understanding their different thought processes and supporting them through awareness can make a huge difference.

He advocates for widespread education on dyslexia, encouraging parents, families, and communities to learn and raise awareness together.

For more information go to https://www.facebook.com/dyslexiagibraltar or https://www.facebook.com/dyslexiagibraltar

To support Dyslexia Week this week you can:
1. Wear a red T-shirt during dyslexia week (or on Tue 8th Oct, Flag Day) take a photo and post it on social media. And tag @DyslexiaGibraltar.
2. Buy one of the Dyslexia Gibraltar T-shirts. To order a T-shirt, email info@dyslexia.gi.
3. Encourage your work colleagues and family to do option 1 or/and 2.
4. Help out on Tuesday at their Flag Day and email Chloe@dyslexia.gi to register.
5. Donate by bank transfer.

Account name: GIBRALTAR DYSLEXIA
Sort Code: 60-60-60
Account number: 48159018
BIC: RBOSGIGI
IBAN: GI49NWBK060606048159018