Open Forum

Dear All 

I am looking for some advice. I have problems with spelling and gammer and having been thinking about when and how to bring it up in an interview or after. I want to do this right and to make sure that my intelligence comes through and not errors. I have sometimes had some else read my work before it goes out to the world. I look forward to all in sight.

Thank you,

Rachel 

Dear All 

I am looking for some advice. I have problems with spelling and gammer and having been thinking about when and how to bring it up in an interview or after. I want to do this right and to make sure that my intelligence comes through and not errors. I have sometimes had some else read my work before it goes out to the world. I look forward to all in sight.

Thank you,

Rachel 

Hi, Vivian,

You seem to have missed that Rachel was discussing that she has a learning disability-this is not a matter of her age or generation, and it was not "derived from social media."

Rachel, I understand where you are coming from. Employers are required to make necessary, helpful accommodations for you and other neurodivergent people, and they encounter people with learning disabilities regularly, so they know how to do this. This should not be a hindrance to you as long as you interview well and have your application materials in order. All the best to you!

Dear All 

I am looking for some advice. I have problems with spelling and gammer and having been thinking about when and how to bring it up in an interview or after. I want to do this right and to make sure that my intelligence comes through and not errors. I have sometimes had some else read my work before it goes out to the world. I look forward to all in sight.

Thank you,

Rachel 

Hi, Vivian,

You seem to have missed that Rachel was discussing that she has a learning disability-this is not a matter of her age or generation, and it was not "derived from social media."

Rachel, I understand where you are coming from. Employers are required to make necessary, helpful accommodations for you and other neurodivergent people, and they encounter people with learning disabilities regularly, so they know how to do this. This should not be a hindrance to you as long as you interview well and have your application materials in order. All the best to you!

Dear All 

I am looking for some advice. I have problems with spelling and gammer and having been thinking about when and how to bring it up in an interview or after. I want to do this right and to make sure that my intelligence comes through and not errors. I have sometimes had some else read my work before it goes out to the world. I look forward to all in sight.

Thank you,

Rachel 

Dear All 

I am looking for some advice. I have problems with spelling and gammer and having been thinking about when and how to bring it up in an interview or after. I want to do this right and to make sure that my intelligence comes through and not errors. I have sometimes had some else read my work before it goes out to the world. I look forward to all in sight.

Thank you,

Rachel 

------------------------------
Rachel Alschuler
Museum Education/ Visitor Experience
San Francisco CA
------------------------------

Hi Rachel! 

As a Gen-X'er with mild learning differences, my low self-esteem around my writing and spelling held me back for years. I can confidently say that spelling issues are not a new problem. But the difference now is that some degree of writing challenge no longer needs to be a dramatic hindrance to one's professional life.

If your challenges are more impactful to your work life than what I describe below (or if this is something new you're tackling in a professional environment) I encourage you to seek out advice and assistance from a disability specialist on how to handle possible disclosures and accommodations. I have never felt the need to discuss this with my work colleagues, except at the most surface level, and have never thought to bring it up during an interview process. 

With that caveat out of the way: I have found new autonomy and confidence in my writing by engaging patience with my imperfect self in tandem with helpers like regular old spell-check and a free Grammarly account. It's enough for me but your mileage may vary. I make sure never to relinquish control to a computer over my personal "voice" (which sometimes means NOT taking the computer's advice -- I can't stress the importance of this enough!) and not to let my challenges get in the way of expressing the ideas I wish to share with the world. Some of this comes from many years of work experience requiring professional writing, working with colleagues who are wonderful writers, and also jumping into grad school in my 40s and having to write A LOT. I also took advantage of the writing center at my university to help me learn how to tackle academic writing and organizing ideas.

Having others proofread one's work is wonderful, though some may see it as a luxury or extra responsibility. I think that viewpoint is shortsighted. Everyone loses themselves in their own writing and can benefit from editing and an outside perspective. Rushing the proofing process will take down the most seasoned writer. For personal writing, I often engage my family and friends to read and offer edits. At workplaces that were the best for my writing, we often read and edited each other's work. The red pen ink all over something you've worked hard on can be distressing but it will make you a better writer. My writing will continue to improve -- I am not perfect or an expert. And I try to forgive myself for the occasional mishap.

I wish you a lot of luck!

-Alisa

------------------------------
Alisa Kraut
Artifact Registrar

Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel University
Philadelphia PA

Original Message:
Sent: 07-23-2024 02:31 PM
From: Rachel Alschuler
Subject: When do tell a possible employer I have a learning difference/ don't spell well and have gammer problems

Dear All 

I am looking for some advice. I have problems with spelling and gammer and having been thinking about when and how to bring it up in an interview or after. I want to do this right and to make sure that my intelligence comes through and not errors. I have sometimes had some else read my work before it goes out to the world. I look forward to all in sight.

Thank you,

Rachel 

------------------------------
Rachel Alschuler
Museum Education/ Visitor Experience
San Francisco CA
------------------------------

Dear All 

I am looking for some advice. I have problems with spelling and gammer and having been thinking about when and how to bring it up in an interview or after. I want to do this right and to make sure that my intelligence comes through and not errors. I have sometimes had some else read my work before it goes out to the world. I look forward to all in sight.

Thank you,

Rachel 

Dear All 

I am looking for some advice. I have problems with spelling and gammer and having been thinking about when and how to bring it up in an interview or after. I want to do this right and to make sure that my intelligence comes through and not errors. I have sometimes had some else read my work before it goes out to the world. I look forward to all in sight.

Thank you,

Rachel 

Rachel,

I applaud you for seeking advice. Perhaps you already know this but there are programs that will literally read aloud whatever you have written. You can pause the audio with this feature and edit what you have written when you hear a mistake. On Outlook there is the "Immersive Reader" feature and on Word there is the "Read Aloud" option. I have found these tools very useful.

All the best, 

------------------------------
Jason Aikens
Collections Curator
Pro Football Hall of Fame
Canton OH

Original Message:
Sent: 07-23-2024 02:31 PM
From: Rachel Alschuler
Subject: When do tell a possible employer I have a learning difference/ don't spell well and have gammer problems

Dear All 

I am looking for some advice. I have problems with spelling and gammer and having been thinking about when and how to bring it up in an interview or after. I want to do this right and to make sure that my intelligence comes through and not errors. I have sometimes had some else read my work before it goes out to the world. I look forward to all in sight.

Thank you,

Rachel 

------------------------------
Rachel Alschuler
Museum Education/ Visitor Experience
San Francisco CA
------------------------------

Hey, Rachel. Have you considered creating an educational program or lesson in keeping with your work or the work you aspire to do demonstrating your skills at the same time you provide an introduction to your learning needs? The effort would meet other goals hiring people like to see: the ability to overcome, address and master "odds", initiative, honesty, ability to consider other learning abilities in your work, etc. Good luck.

------------------------------
Tiffane White JD
Museum Educator
The Phillips Collection
Washington DC

Original Message:
Sent: 07-25-2024 10:05 AM
From: Jason Aikens
Subject: When do tell a possible employer I have a learning difference/ don't spell well and have gammer problems

Rachel,

I applaud you for seeking advice. Perhaps you already know this but there are programs that will literally read aloud whatever you have written. You can pause the audio with this feature and edit what you have written when you hear a mistake. On Outlook there is the "Immersive Reader" feature and on Word there is the "Read Aloud" option. I have found these tools very useful.

All the best, 

------------------------------
Jason Aikens
Collections Curator
Pro Football Hall of Fame
Canton OH

Original Message:
Sent: 07-23-2024 02:31 PM
From: Rachel Alschuler
Subject: When do tell a possible employer I have a learning difference/ don't spell well and have gammer problems

Dear All 

I am looking for some advice. I have problems with spelling and gammer and having been thinking about when and how to bring it up in an interview or after. I want to do this right and to make sure that my intelligence comes through and not errors. I have sometimes had some else read my work before it goes out to the world. I look forward to all in sight.

Thank you,

Rachel 

------------------------------
Rachel Alschuler
Museum Education/ Visitor Experience
San Francisco CA
------------------------------