The image above can resonate with some of us, how filling in forms can infuriate and take a lot of energy out us, leaving us tired and frustrated and sometimes not even wanting to bother. Well that’s how society can exclude many of us with neurological differences. A big sigh when we see them and a bigger sigh when they are complete when it comes to dyslexia and filling in forms.

Whether you are applying for a job, college, university, passport or bank account; we all have to complete forms of one kind or another.

Paper forms are unreliable for various reasons:

• They get lost in the snail mail.
• They get lost by the person filling the form (if you have a working memory difficulty, thats probably something that happens often).
• (The most annoying, especially when it takes you so long to complete with copious amounts of stress) the organisations that sent you the forms that require you to send them, lose the forms you eventually send (Phew!).

Many dyslexic (non dyslexic) people get frustrated due to ongoing problems filling in a form. So we thought we would create a post about it.

Advice with form filling for dyslexics, dyspraxics and ADDers.

1. Before completing the form, contact the organisation and ask if they have an electronic copy of it.
   Many PDF or Word versions of forms are easier to complete. If that’s the case for you, there’s no harm in asking.
2. Read the instructions with a highlighter pen and mark all requirements.
   This includes highlighting all the documents that must be sent with the form.
   Highlighting helps you remember to include them and acts as a to-do list. When completed, you’ll be able to see at a glance what is still required.
3. Always write everything in pencil first.
4. Correct it while it’s still in pencil, including double-checking all numbers, names, and other details.
   We advise asking a non-dyslexic, non-dyspraxic, or non-ADDer friend, partner, or colleague to read through the form with you.
5. Get a friend to check the form before you go over it in pen.
6. Use a black pen to write over the pencil version. This is generally what’s required when completing forms anyway.
   Forms may be dull, and so is the colour black—but thinking of it this way might help you remember.
7. Only rub out the pencil once you are sure the information is correct and the form is completely filled in using pen.
   If you make a mistake, don’t use correction fluid. Instead, neatly cross it out and initial the mistake.
8. Always make a copy of the form before sending it off.
   Use a photocopier, scanner, or even your smartphone if you have one.
   With a smartphone, you can email the form to yourself or upload it to a service like Evernote.
   This is useful in case it gets lost or someone asks for further information.
9. Go through all the instructions you highlighted before sending the form off.

NOTE: Frequently organisations that request you to complete a form, will also ask for other documents to be sent with the completed form.