being an entrepreneur who is dyslexic

I have just read an interesting and relevent article to all dyslexic entrepreneurs and organisations who provide support for entrepreneurs as a whole. Here is a little of what the article said:

"PrI ofessor Julie Logan’s research at the University of Bristol in 2001 reported that 1 in 5 of the UK’s entrepreneurs she surveyed was dyslexic, twice the rate expected for adults in the UK. Women’s Enterprise Scotland estimate that 60,000 women are registered as business owners in Scotland, which could equate to as many as 12,000 female dyslexic entrepreneurs, depending on how the term ‘entrepreneur’ is applied.
In 2008 Prof. Logan’s research at Cass Business School in London made business headlines when she reported that entrepreneurs with dyslexia make significantly different decisions compared to non-dyslexic entrepreneurs in two key respects: the number of businesses they choose to set up, and how many people they employ. Dyslexic entrepreneurs did significantly more of both. This means that the actions of this group are important for economic growth."

Lets just suppose there are another 12.000 male dyslexic entrepreneurs or potential entrepreneurs out there in Scotland. Yet many schools, colleges, training organisations fail to provide adequate support that will enable dyslexics so succeed. Yet many dyslexics still leave school without having their dyslexia assessed and as a result end in in low level employment, long term unemployed or worse still in our prisons. This is a waste of their lives, they become and burden on the economy and it is a waste of potential income for the scottish economy. Dyslexics have to be seen as a potential untapped resource to the socttish economy and provided with appropriate support in our schools and colleges. This support need not cost a lot of money. Indeed a few simple clicks of a mouse can enable a dyslexic to work more effectively on a computer for no cost what so ever.

I do not believe dyslexia to be a disability it is society that disables so many of us by not teaching us in ways we can access the learning in schools.

I am one of those male dyslexic entrepreneurs and before I founded Dyslexia Pathways 3 years ago I had a career as a dyslexia specialist working with adults in colleges. I have to say that when I was starting up my social enterprise Dyslexia Pathways I encountered is a total lack of dyslexia specific support for dyslexic entrepreneurs here in Fife and in Edinburgh. I went to many organisations for support and advice and not one of them any idea dyslexia and how to support a dyslexic entrepreneur. Many orgainsations I went to were more of an hinderence than a help. I did meet with some supportive individuls who were very supporting and I have to thank them for their support with my own journey to becoming an entrepreneur.

One of the aims of Dyslexia Pathways is to create a new mentoring scheme for dyslexic entrepreneurs and potentail entrepreneurs. To enable  them to unleash their potential and succeed in their chosen entrepreneurial path. Please read my blog if you would like to find out more about the work we do at Dyslexia Pathways.

a pen of thorns

Hi all hope you are all ok out there

A pen of thorns

Whenever I think about the difficulties I experienced with writing at school I am taken back to an image I used for a dyslexia project I did for my first dyslexia specialist qualification. Some of you may also remember it. It summed up dyslexia for me to a tee at that time. It was just a hand wearing an industrial glove and holding a pen covered in rose thorns. No non dyslexic will ever comprehend how the simple act of putting pen to paper can be so difficult and painful for dyslexics.

Going back to my secondary school days I can remember that I would look at others in my class writing neatly in joined up writing using their fountain pens. They left no trail of ink or blots as their hand glided over the page with all the ease of a professional skater on the ice. Their writing flowed easily across the page like water flowing down river. Sentences and paragraphs all neat and tidy, spelling all correct miraculously appeared. I couldn't get it together at all. The fountain pen felt uncomfortable in my left hand, my writing didn't flow it stuttered, I had to drag it across the page. Whilst not quite as actually prickly as the pen in the picture it metaphorically might as well have been. No sooner had I put pen to paper there would be a mess of ink trailing behind my left hand. My hand would be covered in ink as I tried hard to engage in the act of writing on a piece of paper.

Then there was my spelling to contend with. It was like trying to drive down a road full of lollypop ladies. It seemed like every third word I would have to stop and contemplate how to spell something. Every five yards I drove down this road one of lolly pop ladies one would step out and stop me. Then so sooner had she gone another would be in her place. Needless to say it took me ages to write anything and every time I handed in work a teacher would comment on my messy work. If I was lucky they wouldn't do it in front of the rest of the class. For those of you who may not know what a lollypop lady is they are people who stop traffic to let school children cross the road in safety.

By the time I was 14 years old I have had enough of school, well the learning part of it anyway. So I stopped attending. Not altogether though I would go to art and music but for me the rest of school was irrelevant. It was a lot easier to skip school back then than it is now. I had lots of inventive ways of skipping school.

Years later in my first year at university I got feedback from a lecturer for a 2000 assignment I completed. I had spent many hours handwriting this assignment and, gawd only knows, how many pieces of paper were screwed up and thrown in the bin before I had completed it. Every word was written in upper case because that’s the only way I can write legibly. I checked every word for spelling errors many times. It was like painting the Sistine Chapel for me. The first comment the lecturer wrote, in the dreaded red ink I might add, was,” doesn’t writing like this take a long time? How can you ever expect to pass an exam writing like this?” Somehow this comment took the gloss off the fact I got an A- for the assignment.

#PeaceLoveGroovyness

Steve McCue