‘Who’s ever heard of

ick Hope is an award-winning freelance sports journalist, part-time BBC Olympic and Paralympic correspondent, and full-time dyslexic. “Who’s ever heard of a dyslexic journalist?” he asks. Not many like to broadcast their membership of this club, making them diff cult to fnd. Once located, I spoke to three individuals about their personal journeys and how they have come to embrace dyslexia.

Journalism doesn’t seem the obvious path for someone who struggles with the fundamental elements of writing. There is a subtle irony in the pursuit of something you are intrinsically programmed to fail at. Journalism seemingly embodies every challenge faced by people with dyslexia, putting itself top of the restricted pursuits list. But this confict requires a redefnition of what it means to be a dyslexic thinker.

Hope is self-deprecating in his irony, but it refects a genuine assumption that dyslexia is an obstacle that prohibits certain routes in life. Dyslexia is a term shrouded in misconceptions, one of the most obvious being that dyslexics are at a disadvantage when it comes to writing. According to a YouGov report from 2016, only three per cent of people see dyslexia as anything other than a disadvantage.

Generally, dyslexia is considered to affect an individual’s abilities in the arenas of writing, spelling and grammar. In fact, it infuences a person’s cognitive profle, which means that they think differently. Often people with dyslexia have strengths in creative and lateral thinking, problem solving and communication. This can be great for conjuring up story ideas and developing innovative approaches to journalism. According to Nick Posford, chief executive of the British Dyslexia Association, “dyslexic individuals are often those who see the big picture and spot new opportunities for innovation and improvement”, which accounts for the vast number of successful dyslexic entrepreneurs. Challenges come in the form of spelling, reading and memorising facts. Simple things like mistaking dessert and desert, or repeating words - but the result is brilliant and unique pieces of writing that keep sub-editors in a job.

Many view these challenges as a direct threat to the prospect of a job in journalism. Philippa Kelly, writer at the British Journal of Photography she originally felt alienated from the industry. “I was under the impression dyslexia would be a barrier for a writing job, I didn’t think it was achievable for me,” she says.

Orking In Disguise

Being ‘found out’ was an anxiety experienced by all of the interviewees. There is a sense that journalists with dyslexia are living a lie - imposters in a feld where they don’t belong.

Johanna Payton, freelance lifestyle journalist and former Commissioning Editor at the