Content Note: Ableism, Gaslighting

Dear practioners and leaders,

As a person with dyslexia (the most common neurodivergent trait among adults!), the daily onslaught of hundreds of emails felt like an insurmountable challenge. To stay on top of urgent matters, I set up a simple solution: text alerts for emails from my boss and CEO. There was no content breach, just a heads-up on my company phone. It instantly became a small lifeline in a digital sea.

At first, it felt like a smart idea, a way to help me prioritize my attention without drowning in information. But then, the IT department came crashing down on me, accusing me of breaching security and leaking confidential information. I was shocked. All I had done was create a notification system on a device that already had access to my work emails.

I tried to reason with my manager, who simply said, "Just ignore it." But the IT person wouldn't let it go, escalating the issue and bringing more people into the conversation. I had to explain myself over and over, each time feeling a little more frustrated and misunderstood. Each time (re)disclosing my dyslexia, in ways that felt unsafe, uneeded and disbelieved.

My simple work around, a notification designed to help me stay organized, was twisted into something nefarious. I felt wrongly accused, my good intentions completely misinterpreted. The experience was humiliating, a painful reminder of the challenges that arise when trying to accommodate different ways of working.

In the end, I had to disable the alerts. I was left feeling defeated, my confidence shaken by the realization that even the simplest solutions could be met with suspicion and resistance.

I try to imagine what it would have been like to navigate this situation with support. What if my boss boss stood up for me or with me? What if the IT helped me troubleshoot the daunting task of 100s of emails a day?

Instead, it was reminder and a harsh lesson, as a lifetime frequeent flyer with dyslexia that the path to creating a truly inclusive workplace is an ongoing journey.

-Jonathan (Director)