Dyslexia First is passionate about helping others to understand dyslexia further. So, when we discovered Jess, we knew her story would be perfect for our Dyslexia Awareness Week spotlight. #shareyourstory
About Jess Sands
Jess is an inspiration to us all.
From a 7 year old unable to read to a published author and inspirational entrepreneur, Jess has overcome challenges, stigmas, generational disbelief and shown those who stood in her way that she has a superpower to be proud of.
Tell us about your early life, and when you knew you had dyslexia.
I grew up in the mid 1990s when dyslexia wasn’t really a recognised ‘thing’.
I didn’t receive any formal diagnosis – in fact my school decided I was dyslexic because I couldn’t read at age 7.
I remember the school’s headmistress coming around the classroom to read with everyone, and when I couldn’t read, they sent me to get my eyes tested as ‘it must be because you can’t see’.
I didn’t like books. My parents had never read to me, and when they were given as ‘presents’ I never thought of them as a real present. They weren’t something I liked.
So, I spent most of my childhood and life thinking I just wasn’t very clever.
I was good at Art. I loved History but writing an essay or sitting exams confused me.
I didn’t understand adjectives or vowels, and at that point, I decided that words and numbers just weren’t my thing. I wanted to continue with Art, but my parents told me I couldn’t make a career out of Art. I proved them wrong!
What adjustments were made at school?
School was awful. They put me in what they called ‘Special Lessons’. I was getting pulled out of class and made to feel like I was being singled out. Even now, I feel so let down that all those years I didn’t think I was clever, when I was!
How has dyslexia shaped your career?
I did my degree in Graphic Design and made a success as a graphic designer. I worked with Caroline Gardner, M&S and used to design Disney books – which was amazing! It turns out you can make a career out of art!
When I married my husband, a pilot in the RAF, it all changed as we moved every two years. Employers wouldn’t hire me because of the moves.
So, I created my own business, Design Jessica, specialising in designing brands for new companies within the armed forces community.
When did things really change?
It was about 5 years ago that I had an awakening.
It was my husband that did that. My husband is very academic, a pilot in the Air Force, a Cambridge graduate, and very clever. I’d often feel uncomfortable around his university friends because they’re so academic. I always felt my words weren’t ‘swirly’ enough.
But spending time with him and realising that although he’s great with words, he can’t reverse park or fit things in a space (without measuring). There are things he can’t do, but I find them easy because of my dyslexia.
He’s obsessed with books and reads all the time. And I started reading – and now I read all the time.
Tell me about The MILSPO Business Network
Milspo is the network of Military Spouses that have their own business but struggle to juggle that with the challenges of military life. But because I’m a creative thinker, I’ve solved that problem by creating a network that supports them.
I’m passionate about helping other military spouses, partners and other-halves to get employment, create their own businesses and dissolve the feeling of isolation that many military spouses experience.
And last year, I actually wrote a book. It’s bonkers to think that the little girl at 7 who couldn’t read has written a book.
It’s called ‘Building Business Beyond the Magnolia Box – a guide for entrepreneurs living in a modern military world’ – a book, that I wrote myself. It’s bizarre – the little girl would look at me and think that wasn’t possible at all. It’s really sad.
It would have made such a difference if someone had said ‘Yes you can do things’.
Amazon sponsored the book launch, and I went to the factory to see it printed. It was so surreal seeing my book being printed.
Is there anything that’s helped you in business that you’d recommend to others?
I started my design business in 2012 and community business in 2018. Back then technology wasn’t as amazing as it is now.
So, I’m a huge adopter of AI. It’s life changing. Because I have this amazing brain that is creative, I’m really good at writing prompts for AI and I’ve spent loads of time working out how to do that well. With the right information, it can create the foundation and starting point for my written content.
It’s huge for small businesses and helps you adapt. When you’re a small business owner, it’s like having a second human to create the things that I struggle with – for me that’s written text.
I’ve created a Business Startup Course and as I’m recording the videos, the captions are being automatically created for me by AI. It would have taken me months to get that written before AI.
It gives you more confidence to create content without being called out by spelling mistakes – like ‘definitely’.
What are your views on dyslexia and how has it shaped you?
I now think dyslexia is brilliant, but I’ve had to adapt to get the make the most of my dyslexic brain. I’d be sad for my son if he’s dyslexic as a child – if only we could switch it on when he’s about 20. I do worry he may struggle at school to begin with, but as an adult it can be a brilliant, creative tool.
I’d still like to be able to write sentences without the mistakes, do math’s for my businesses easily, and keep my creativity too – I’d change it for the little girl struggling at school, but not for the person I am now. Dyslexia has made me the brilliant entrepreneur I am now.
I keep meeting people, and they are sad about their child’s dyslexia diagnosis – I advocate how it’s a positive, amazing and point them to Made by Dyslexia which has fantastic videos.
What would you like the wider society to know about dyslexia?
It’s about the education. That needs to change. Everybody that is in a leadership role is in their 40’s which means the 1990’s would have been their formative years where we were told we couldn’t do things. As in fact, it turns out we can!
Also, I struggle with pages that have white text on a black background – I can’t read it! If I can’t read something, I don’t. They’re not accessible for me.
What advice would you give to families going through the process?
Having an awareness of what it actually is as opposed to what you’ve internally decided what it is. For my parents, the dyslexia thing was ‘well never mind’, because they didn’t know more about it.
And see it as an amazing attribute, not a disadvantage. Focus on the fact that it’s a superpower – I think people should be jealous of this superpower. I can hold my own, there are lots of things I can do that others can’t.
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Dyslexia shouldn’t hold a person back, no matter what age. Every year in October there is dyslexia awareness week but we should strive to raise awareness all year round.
Most of us have heard of dyslexia but there are still misconceptions.
