I was wondering, are there any other dyslexic PhD students out there, and if so, have you had experienced any problems because of it?

I have real problems with sort term memory and during a conference the other day i realised I hadn't taken anything in (absolutely nothing), I was a bit flustered so left early and emailed my supervisor (who had invited me) to explain. He said he thought it was a 'very poor excuse.' Maybe it was a bit, but i was dreading discussing it with other people at the end, when i clearly didn't have a clue...

Do you think that discrimination exists in academia towards dyslexia, or not really?

Discrimination exists in all forms of life...
Although you might want to consider it as a 'grumpy academic' moment. Maybe you'd have been better off explaining and asking to meet up to talk about strategies to avoid this happening in future. How long was the conference? How much did you miss? Are you able to take notes whilst listening -- by hand? -- on a laptop? -- using a digital recorder??
Was the 'very poor excuse' in the context of a diatribe about other things??

I think people don't like excuses - even when they're genuine! I agree that it may be best to discuss strategies - whatever works for you. Probably back-to-back sessions are a total no-no and you may need to do more pre/post-reading. Discussing with others may actually help - ask questions and let them run on explaining it all for you. Could you audiotape some presentations of particular interest?

I have terrible problems with attention and lectures or presentations where you sit passively can be a nightmare. I have also found that a whole day at a conference is counterproductive and I need breaks - and to pick and choose carefully. An hour can go by in a heartbeat and I have absolutely no idea what was said. Somehow I have survived though.

I have a very good friend with dyslexia who is now tenured. It was tough but he was very discplined and determined. I used to read to him a lot when we were younger.

seeing it from your sups point of view, he was perhaps slightly offended that you left early, and wasn't trying to discriminate against you in any way. it would probably have been better for you to stick it out to the end rather than sneaking out. i understand it must be very difficult, but to get through the phd there are going to be plenty of times when you don't understand things (and this applies to everyone, dyslexia or not) and unfortunately you just have to bite the bullet and either tell people you didn't understand or try and bluff your way through it! i went to my 1st conference last year and hardly understood a word (i am not dyslexic by the way). my supervisor asked me loads of questions about it, and i just had to be honest and say which bits had been too complex, and he was really helpful and explained some of it to me.

as for discrimination, i couldn't really say as it is not something that affects me personally, but i would like to hope not.

I tend to agree with Smoobles here, it would have been better for you to stick around and feel a little flustered than to have simply left - there will still, for example, opportunities to network. I don't mean to be rude, but your previous post indicated that you were not the most highly regarded student in the department and given that is the case you really need to try to make a better impression at every opportunity, such as this conference.

Whilst your dyslexia may have a certain impact on your abilities - the short-term memory issue you mentioned, there are still things that are expected as an academic. If you wish to complete and move into academia you will have to both attend and present at conferences - it is the key way to keep abreast of contemporary work in your area and to get feedback on your work. Again, without being mean, it is to a large extent your responsibility to learn ways of working with your dyslexia and finding ways to overcome obstacles; which as previous posters mentioned, can be done with effort. Your dyslexia simply cannot be a way to avoid things.

Often the chit chat afterwards has very little to do with the content of the conference presentations. Sometimes the conversation is very general and will border onto the social (depending on who you end up talking to...) In the case of a history conference (you are a history PhD?) why not just jott down a reference of two, or an interesting source/picture a presenter used - anything that might be used in conversation to show you were paying attention. Or, just find a way to link a paper to your own work i.e similar period, theme, nation etc There will always be a way to 'save face' - I do it all the time! :p

I would imagine your supervisor is concerned that you were discourteous to the people who were still to present / were presenting when you left - especially if it was a smallscale invitation only event where your absence would have been obvious (and thus embarassing for your supervisor). As someone who has never been able to learn by listening, I also find conferences hard and get very little out of them, but if you do go then I think you have to think about displaying a professional persona and be polite to the presenters even if you're not getting much out of it. It would be better to leave before the chat/ networking muttering about a dental appointment or similar than to leave during the presentations if you feel really stuck.

I know a PhD student with Dyslexia and she copes very well. Just having to get her thesis proof read for SPAG mistakes. To be honest you can't use your dyslexia as an excuse - everyone finds it difficult at conferences in my experience. As you are in this area of work, you will have to find ways of coping with it. As a PhD student people often prefer you to stand and listen to them anyway rather than have your own opinions - well thats my experience to date!

A very eminent speaker in my field has dyslexia and he starts most of his presentations with a 'dyslexia clause' - i.e. he says, "sorry if I stumble over words, I'm dyslexic, just ask if you need clarification". And he always has spelling mistakes on his slides which he apologises for all the way through - he is a fantastic speaker though and world renowned.

Thank you for your replies, and you are quite right. I spoke with my supervisor about it afterwards and he underlined some points that indicate (to him) that my commitment has been faltering slightly. Although I don't really think it has, maybe I need to alter my attitude a bit. I think he made some very good points and since the criticism was (in the end) very constructive, I can't really get defensive. Thanks.

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I used to be a PhD student, and I remember that being dyslexic was a big issue for me. It's difficult to get committed when you struggle with things your supervisor cannot relate to.

I recently came across this article which amongst other things talks about finding the right attitude towards dyslexia while doing a PhD.

http://www.englishproofreading.co.uk/2009/04/14/tips-phd-students-dyslexia

Thought this might help.