Whether it’s you going back to work, or your children trying a new part-in school, part-remote school routine, many of us will be having to adjust to changes because of the pandemic.
There will be many aspects of every day living that we won’t have control of, but with every change, there also comes opportunity.
1. Give Yourself a Break.
It’s an incredibly stressful time and no one knows what the future will hold. Many people are even experiencing weird pandemic dreams so sleep and all routines are disrupted.
As you begin heading back to work or starting school, the number 1 piece of advice is give yourself (and your loved ones) a break!
We know what happens with stress – you lose focus, you have less energy, and it can wreak havoc with your memory. Don’t expect too much and just get through the days.
2. Think About What You’re Grateful For.
If it’s you heading back to work, focus on what you can be grateful for. Maybe it’s your family and your health, and workplaces and schools to go back to. If your job has changes and so has your school, then there’s a clean slate and new opportunities that await you.
3. Look for Opportunities.
With every change, there will be new opportunities.
Changes have a great way of messing up established routines and identifying needs and gaps in services. All of society has been disrupted, and everyone knows it. There is time to experiment with changes and you’re likely to encounter more flexibility with established protocols than ever before.
Some people are taking this pandemic time to find a better job flexibility with established protocols than ever before. Some people are taking this pandemic time to find a better job fit. Others are having to learn new skills to work with the new emphasis on remote communication. In general, technology is a great thing for this community.
There can be significant hurdles in the beginning, but once mastered, many excel and surpass non-dyslexic peers in use and innovation.
4. Ask, Challenge, Make Changes.
If you’re a parent advocating for your student or an employee going back to work in the midst of changed practices and protocols, ask or challenge practices if they are impacting learning, work productivity, or anything else, then speak up, ask, challenge, and make changes.
There are no precedents in these unprecedented times, and if some of the new policies disadvantage you or your students, it might be that those making the policies simply hadn’t thought of or considered those needs.
For instance, if you or your student is having trouble doing so much work on a small screen at home, “reasonable accommodations” under the Americans with Disabilities Act for school or workplaces with 15 or more employees may need to provide you with a larger monitor or even dual monitor while you’re working and learning from home.
For those who have had to shift to making more of their communications through video conferencing and phone, noise-cancelling headphones may be necessary to adequately work from home. Research studies have show that both dyslexic adults and children with dyslexia have more difficulty listening in the presence of background noise (references HERE and HERE). For phone advice regarding accommodations, contact AskJan.org which is a free US federal program: 1-800-526-7234.
