Find out how dyslexia and different thinking lead to success in the workplace
Lachlan Fletcher is a Lead Data Analyst in our Melbourne office, working on multiple digital engineering projects. After being diagnosed as dyslexic as a child, he has experienced plenty of challenges but is on his way to a rewarding career in mechanical engineering. Find out more below.
Lachlan Fletcher: My experiences growing up were pretty normal. Nothing out of the ordinary. At least outside of school. But school was a whole other battle. I had teachers from as early as grade one telling me that I was useless and would never amount to anything. It started when one of them noticed I was reading the same book for a few weeks. It wasn’t a big book, a pretty basic one, but I hadn’t progressed past the first couple of pages. She picked up the book, showed it to everyone in the class, and said I was stupid. Needless to say, this had an enormous impact on me.
I was diagnosed with dyslexia when I was around 10. So, I went through the first four years of primary school without knowing, as well as my teachers. When I found out, everything made sense, and my experiences ticked many boxes. It was at a time when dyslexia was gaining more awareness among the general public.
“I suppose attitudes around that time meant dyslexic people couldn’t read very well. This was during the early days of understanding and telling people, it's a disability, and we can work around it.”
When I see a book and a wall of words, I look the other way. I don’t actually see the words. I see the shape of the word. For instance, I read ‘word’ as ‘w__d’. The middle letters don’t matter. It could be ‘wurd’, but my comprehension would be the same. I read part of a line and then go to the next one. I can read words throughout the page at a scan, but the second it comes down to tracking a page with my eyes, one line to the next, I just can’t keep up. I'll read the same line three times before realising I've read it three times. So, comprehension becomes difficult. I'll read something, and I won't entirely know what it means, but I'll get the gist of it. It’s not like I’ve completely understood it.
If you’re wondering what dyslexic people see, here is an example:
Picture © Daniel Britton
Something I've come across describing dyslexia is that my brain is like a computer and operates like a background task. It's not on the screen, and you can't see much going on, but it's happening. It’s like when I'm working through a task, if I encounter something that gives me difficulty or trouble, I'll do something else for a bit and work out the solution subconsciously. I won't be actively thinking about it at that point, but it’s running in the back of my brain, and no matter what I am thinking about, I can't help but work on the solution. It just stews until the solution comes out of nowhere, and I suddenly know how to do something. This means I have a terrible sleep some nights. I have to be exhausted before I can go to sleep!
Growing up, I did a lot of musical theatre outside of school. I find reading music easier because it's like leading lines; you can follow them. Once I was diagnosed, I had some rudimentary assistance tools that were pretty archaic. I had a headset that I’d have to wear. Sometimes, I'd go into a small office to write things I needed to. I liked that there were alternate ways for me to write, and it helped a bit, but put a stigma around me. I just wanted to appear normal.
“Throughout school, I did as much as possible to avoid being noticed. I'd always try to be a wallflower. There were some strategies and support suggested. My parents put me into a private school for my secondary education, and some awesome teachers helped me get through everything. They moved heaven and earth to make accommodations for me to be happy and want to come to school.”
Even though I didn’t like school, I managed to get through it and finish Year 12 with a scoreless Victorian Certificate of Education. This meant that I could try to enter university if I wanted to return and study as a mature-aged student. I then entered the hospitality industry, working across many roles from 2014 to 2023. I moved around different venues, so I had to bring my glasses first to read the till and then build up that muscle memory of where things were located within the system to work. But it's not fun wearing glasses when you have to stick your face over a steaming dishwasher, trying to see what you’re doing. Plus, they tend to fall off your face. Don’t ask me how many pairs hospitality has claimed from me!
Once COVID-19 hit in 2020, we were stuck inside for ages in Melbourne, and hospitality was virtually non-existent. I decided to study for an advanced diploma in mechanical engineering, which I completed in 2022. I’m now studying part-time to earn a Bachelor’s degree. After I had finished the advanced diploma, I noticed a role here at ASA when I was looking around for work. I applied and landed a Junior Data Analyst role, even though I was after a different position. I’ve since been promoted to Lead Data Analyst, working in the digital engineering team with people like Harrison, Keeton and Dayana: she now has a role at Ventia. I’ve worked on many digital engineering projects for clients such as Acciona, Brisbane Airport and FSC Range.
At ASA, I enjoy being able to help people who haven't been as fortunate as I am with support networks. I enjoy helping others with design, drafting and giving back to people who want to learn new skills. I also run a dyslexia support group here. I’m trying to have those of us with dyslexia come out of the woodwork for help. Based on our internal surveys, we have quite a few who say they have dyslexia. A few of us in the group talk to each other regularly (ironically, sometimes on Teams!). Even in a supportive environment like ASA, people still struggle to come forward. I guess it’s part of the silly stigma that you’re stupid, and why didn’t you want to go to school?
But in the group, we share all the tips and tricks we’ve learnt and the tools to help. We’re very good at thinking on our feet. We love coming up with creative solutions to problems that haven’t been thought about and finding new ways of doing things. Regarding my learning style, I retain a lot of information by watching videos. Not all videos: they have to be engaging. I find ‘how to’ videos work for me. You know you're watching and learning. I remember watching something on YouTube decades ago that I can bring to the front of my mind as if I watched it yesterday. I think the best way to teach any person is to try a range of approaches and gauge their understanding until you find what works.
One way I've heard dyslexia described in the past would be the old hunter-gatherer mindset of you learn by doing. I agree with this. I've learnt to do certain things because it's this ingrained nature of how we've survived. Before civilisations developed written communication, we'd learn from older generations via storytelling and practical work. Like, I’ll show you how to do this, and then you'll learn how to do it. This was valued a long time ago, but school systems mainly use a written form of communication that favours the majority of the population, but not the 10% that is dyslexic.
“With our neurodivergent strengths, dyslexic people are known for creative thinking. Some famous dyslexic people include Richard Branson and Albert Einstein. If we see a barrier in the way, we tend to think around the problem, not push through it. Hence, we have to think differently because we have to try and fit into a neurotypical world.”
In our digital engineering team, there’s a mix of neurodivergent people, including dyslexics like me, autistic people, and those with ADHD (or a combination!). I recognise the strengths of those around me and aim to have people do what they’re good at. For example, some of our team are great at smashing out work quickly. Others are great at thinking on their feet. Others are obscenely good at recognising textures and patterns in three dimensions. What’s great for me is that I've got people on my team who are happy to help me by proofing emails and correcting my spelling. I also encourage people to remove unnecessary words from emails and break up text into small pieces via dot points.
Adjustments I use include a dark mode wherever available, as I find reading text on a black background easier. This is different for every person with dyslexia, as we have our own preference for colour palettes to assist with reading. Some use ‘reading rulers’, but these never worked for me. I’ve tried using several tools but haven’t experienced many benefits. One I do use is Goblin Tools, which is good for breaking information down into bite-sized chunks, so I don’t have to.
“ASA has brought in a dyslexia coach (who also has dyslexia), and she has been invaluable. As much as she was helping ASA, I was also able to help her identify new tools and methods.”
What causes me anxiety at times is that if I have to send an email, it’s somewhat stressful because I'm worried about what someone's going to think when they read it. The joy of growing up in the digital age! I tend to spell phonetically (English makes little to no logical sense to me), so when I message people, they ask me if I’m drunk because of my spelling. That can be disheartening to hear sometimes.
With communication, I prefer talking to someone in person or over a call, as that’s easier for me as I expel less energy that way. I can just talk. I don’t enjoy written communication for obvious reasons, both reading and writing. Seeing walls of text means I won’t pick it all up, just bits and pieces. This has caused issues for me in the past. I think, holy crap, that's just way too much.
Neurotypical people definitely have misconceptions about neurodivergent people, especially people with dyslexia. The obvious one is that we’re stupid, which comes from dyslexic people struggling with reading and writing. It is getting better, though. They definitely don’t understand the strengths that come with dyslexia, like lateral thinking and narrative storytelling. I also have family members who are neurodivergent.
“ASA is helping me with on-the-job experience, which is highly relevant to my mechanical engineering degree. Having this practical experience will be great for my resume. I also have leadership experience here. I really enjoy supporting others in reaching their goals.”
In the future, I’d like to continue with engineering design and drafting, most likely in mechanical engineering. I’m taking things as they come, so who knows where I’ll end up!
