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I'm a software engineering student that will be starting an internship soon. But I got a big disability that can't be seen. I can read text perfectly but I can't write on paper (which is usually not a problem as a software engineer). Most importantly my orthography is really bad (like it's more or less phonetic) and I pretty much miss any accord that can't be heard (which is something that happens a lot in French).

Technically I was recognized as a handicapped worker in France. But since it would nullify any chance of me getting any internship, I just don't disclose it during the interview and get my resume/motivation letter reviewed by a friend.

How can I ask for help with a proofreading thing I will put on the website that would be trivial for normal people? Should I "out" myself?

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    Is your spelling only bad on paper or also on a computer ?
    – Weedoze
    Commented Oct 25, 2019 at 5:37
  • What is the purpose of your internship ? You are stating "thing I will put on the website"
    – Weedoze
    Commented Oct 25, 2019 at 5:41
  • @Weedoze my spelling is bad on both. and i am doing alone a website for a compagnie
    – shas
    Commented Oct 26, 2019 at 17:58
  • Dictating to a word processor + spell check has got to be better than what we see from those damn cell phones. You will likely do better than 1/3 or your peers who can't put the damn cell phone down or fogot how to communicate with something other than txt.
    – user25792
    Commented Oct 28, 2019 at 18:07
  • any way to make a word processor write in an ide?
    – shas
    Commented Oct 31, 2019 at 2:07

3 Answers 3

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If you can type sentences that are halfways understandable, it shouldn't be a problem, but I would not put it on the application. It is for selling your skills, so there should be no negative things in it.

During the interview if they ask about something negative, you could mention it and the what you are doing to make it better, getting training, visiting courses, idk, how badly it influences you.

If they don't ask negative questions and the interview goes well, I would personally mention that I really like the position, but they should know blah blah blah ...

I work as a software engineer and there seem to be a lot of people around with a little dyslexia, you see wrong spelled variable names, code comments, but as long as the code works and is properly debugged nobody really cares.

Discussing some software architecture you might draw stuff on a whiteboard, but there you usually just abbreviate component names, so correct spelling doesn't matter.

If you have to write a lot of documents that will go to the customer, that might be problematic, so try to ask if you will get those tasks too as an intern, but usually there is already a person who likes doing that.

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    to give you a better idea, in terms off how bad it is. i write phrase that make perfect sens but the orthographe is bad enough that a 6th grader do better than me.
    – shas
    Commented Oct 25, 2019 at 1:28
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    if it is still understandable and not going to a customer without review i wouldn't worry. would still suggest to see if there is any training available, not sure if it really helps, but it will at least look like you are trying your best. after a while it won't matter anyway because you will be judged by the quality of your work and not your writing skills.
    – Armin
    Commented Oct 25, 2019 at 2:05
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    if you add a country tag, you might get some links to organisations that could be helpful.
    – Armin
    Commented Oct 25, 2019 at 2:05
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    sadly any training is doomed to fail since this come from neurological cause. i already did extensive reeducation to be where im at, but im afraid i can't improve much.
    – shas
    Commented Oct 25, 2019 at 2:44
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    @shas The man who mentored me at my first programming job was dyslexic and couldn't spell a word to save his life. He was also one of the best people I've ever worked with, and taught me skills that I still use to be successful 15 years later. I'm posting this as a comment rather than an answer as it doesn't address your question, but your condition doesn't need to hold you back. Find areas where you can grow, and work at them. Nothing is "doomed", you just need to find a more appropriate approach, and focus on your strengths rather than your weaknesses.
    – Player One
    Commented Oct 25, 2019 at 11:16
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How can I ask for help with proofreading thing I will put on the website that would be trivial for normal people. Should I "out" myself?

Yes. You need an accommodation. You must tell potential employers about this.

It might make finding an internship more difficult. But at least it will result in an internship in which you can succeed.

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But since it would nullify any chance of me getting any internship, I just don't disclose it during the interview and get my resume/motivation letter reviewed by a friend.

You did nothing wrong.

I don't know the legal system in France, but in the US, you're not supposed to disclose your invisible disabilities during the interview process.

With that in mind, here are your options:

  1. Use automation. I personally use Grammarly. In French, you'll want to use one of these.

  2. Ask a friend at work or a fellow intern to proofread your work. Not everyone needs to know.

  3. Tell the person who's job it is to check the output of your work. Either your manager or Quality Assurance. You might as well tell them this now before they discover it on their own.

In either case, I'd like to reiterate that you did nothing wrong not disclosing this disability sooner.

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