Media needs to see inside dyslexic minds

by Kirsty Innes, a member of Dyslexia Scotland

Media can empower dyslexic thinking and help decision makers truly understand the value of a dyslexia friendly Scotland. Accurate representation is
key to achieving this. As a communications consultant, being an advocate for my 10-year-old dyslexic son Rory has been enlightening. A limited, and sometimes outdated, understanding of dyslexia initially led to him facing barriers to getting the full support that he needed.

It was difficult for Rory to articulate his learning differences because he knew no other way and he had cleverly adapted his own strategies to meet curriculum requirements. I needed to see inside his mind, so that I could support him in communicating his needs.

Together we spoke to his assessor, made good use of the brilliant Dyslexia Scotland resources, attended events, watched videos, listened to the Lessons in Dyslexic Thinking podcast, read books and joined the fantastic Bulletmap Academy. We used all our learnings to create a clear visual bulletmap highlighting Rory’s strengths and needs, as well as those of his school. The impact this made was just incredible. Descriptors from other dyslexic people that Rory could relate to were
particularly useful, including those told by Dyslexia Scotland Ambassadors Hamza Yassin, Paul McNeill and Mark Stoddart. The visual storytelling on BBC’s
Inside Our Autistic Minds also helped us explain auditory overwhelm. Our experience highlights the power of evidence-based visual storytelling, as well as the need for communications to reflect the priorities and available. resources of those we are looking to engage. With fewer staff than ever before and often thousands of stories to look through each day, many media outlets just don’t have the time to research every story. This is why we need proactive champions who can engage media
with well-researched newsworthy stories that accurately represent dyslexia. I’m hopeful that the next Inside Our Minds BBC series will do just that and that
the increased profile it provides will set a precedent for improved representation across all channels – as it has done for autism. The increased topicality this creates will also provide a fantastic springboard for dyslexic people to tell their own stories, if they feel comfortable doing so, and/or to share other people’s stories that they can relate to.

Communications research has shown that people will only take action if they see or hear the same information multiple times. So if we all share and celebrate accurate portrayals of dyslexia on public platforms, it will all help to influence more accurate media representation of dyslexia.

My top tips for sharing your dyslexia story

1. be authentic
2. be enthusiastic
3. be confident – you are an expert
4. know your audience
5. picture how others will view your story
6. only share information you are OK with others knowing
7. stick to the facts – avoid myth busting or being defensive
8. look to other stories for inspiration
9. practise telling your story to a friend
10. be clear and concise – there is a limit to how much you fit into any media
    report.