Dyslexia is one of the most common learning difficulties affecting both children and adults. While no two individuals struggle with the same set of symptoms, most people with dyslexia must work harder than their peers to develop literacy skills.
They may need more time to read and write, and experience high levels of frustration navigating numbers. However, the situation can be just as stressful for working adults who have the added pressure of performance goals and feeling confident and capable at work, especially in front of clients, co-workers and managers.
Technology can help people overcome the challenges posed by dyslexia in the workplace. Being neat and submitting handwritten reports is no longer a priority. Computers have made typing the norm and opened up a world of word processors and spell checkers.
Along with using a computer comes the ability to touch-type. Keyboarding allows the typist to write at a faster pace and use muscle memory in the hand and fingers to support spelling skills. Mobile devices and tablets have text-to-speech and auto-complete functions and there are plenty of podcasts and audiobooks that provide information in a more dyslexia-friendly format.
It is also important that people with dyslexia develop a repertoire of coping strategies, such as deliberately studying new vocabulary that might be important in a specific industry. Repeatedly drilling information helps a dyslexic adult feel more confident and can translate into enhanced performance over time.
Adults with dyslexia will also benefit from knowing how they process information best and letting co-workers and superiors know. For example, hand-outs that are printed on colour paper may be easier to read and voicemails may be preferred over written notes. See below for more tips and suggestions.
Here are 6 tops for dyslexia at work:
- Make your manager and co-workers aware. Most countries have laws in place to protect people with learning difficulties from workplace discrimination. Don’t be afraid to hide this. Dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence and dyslexic individuals are often very bright, creative and capable workers. If possible, be upfront and honest about your dyslexia as it is nothing to be ashamed of.
- Adjust your computer settings. Not everyone realises that certain fonts and colours can actually make it easier for dyslexic people to read text on a computer screen. They are weighted differently so the letters and numbers are easier to read. Adjusting the background colour of a screen can also reduce distractions and make it faster to navigate a desktop. Personalise your working space to work for your needs.
- Reading and writing. Allow yourself plenty of time to read and complete a task. Speak to your fellow colleagues to discuss materials and summarising key points
- Plan for extra time. Time is a major factor at work and knowing how to wield your schedule means allotting extra hours for tasks that may take longer to complete with dyslexia.
- Use more charts and diagrams. You may find that it’s easier to process information if you turn tables into charts and text instructions into diagrams. Try printing them on different colour paper as it may make them easier to discuss in meetings and during presentations. You can also ask your boss if presenting reports via video or audio summaries is a possibility.
- Stay organised. Stress affects everyone in the workplace, but it can be particularly crippling if you are already struggling with a learning difficulty. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, stay organised and manage your tasks wisely. This is especially important if you also struggle with dyspraxia. If you know you have a difficult project to work on in the morning, take a long lunch break or plan a different focus for the afternoon to give your brain a chance to recover.
Here at Valentine Occupational Health we can support our customers and their employees with any neurodiverse conditions through diagnostic and screening assessments, workplace assessments, training, coaching, online learning and consultancy working in partnership with Lexxic.
Neurodiversity refers to the different ways a person’s brain processes information. It is used to describe alternative thinking styles such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, Autism and ADHD.
