If you manage a team of 15 people, one of them will likely have dyslexia. Despite how common this learning difficulty is, employer support for people with dyslexia has mostly been limited to large corporations.
Your organization is probably competing for the same type of prospective employees, so having a lackluster neurodiversity inclusion program, or none at all, has been depriving you of the best people who may want to work for you if only your organization could make it possible for them.
Let’s find out about this under-employed labor market, and how you can start filling in those crucial vacancies with the talents from the dyslexia community.
What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a learning difference rooted mostly in phonological and visual processing problems: an impaired ability to access the sounds of spoken language, including to visually decode text into speech. It is a matter of auditory and visual perception and is unrelated to intelligence.
Defining dyslexia
The most common struggle among people with dyslexia is reading and spelling: they need much more time to read, and spelling errors are frequent and unexpected.
Once they find ways to manage the arduous tasks of reading and spelling, though, people with dyslexia demonstrate average or above-average intellectual capacity, with many excelling in creativity, visualization, pattern recognition, and conceptual thinking.
Despite such difficulties with language, many dyslexic people have become successful as writers and publishers. Many cases have proved that being dyslexic can be a strength rather than a weakness. Poor spelling does not translate to poor writing skills, and poor reading skills can improve with practice, tenacity, and support.
There are many success stories that prove how dyslexia is not really a disadvantage, but a genetic difference that may gift individuals with originality and creative brilliance.
However, dyslexia cannot be cured. It is a lifelong condition. Dyslexic individuals continue to struggle with reading even if their reading skills improve. Therefore, the earlier they are diagnosed, the better their chance of coping with it.
Dyslexia is one of the most common learning differences, representing 80-90% of people with learning differences. 15% to 20% of the general population may have symptoms of dyslexia. Families with dyslexia are very likely to have children with dyslexia. In fact, having a child diagnosed with dyslexia usually motivates a parent to get their own diagnosis. Here are some reasons why your employees may get a diagnosis later in life, and how to support them.
Identifying dyslexia
Identification of learning difficulties such as dyslexia has remained lacking across the educational system, so your organization is likely employing or serving many people with undiagnosed dyslexia (keeping in mind that 70% of disabilities are invisible). They have developed coping strategies and masking habits that enable them to blend in and avoid criticism.
Your hiring process may have also missed out on qualified candidates whose dyslexia has prevented them from going through the standardized application process.
There are dyslexia tests and evaluations for adults. Please contact these associations for an accurate formal assessment. A specialist diagnosis of dyslexia includes not only the test result but also:
- Consideration of background information
- School History
- Comprehensive assessment of both oral and written language skills at all levels from the simplest to the most complex.
- Recommendations for accommodations and compensatory strategies.
According to the Yale Center of Dyslexia and Creativity, look for tell-tale difficulties such as:
- Lack of fluency, frequent hesitations, imprecise language
- Spoken vocabulary is smaller than listening vocabulary
- General anxiety when speaking
- Challenges with remembering names of people and places. May confuse names that sound alike.
- Performs rote, clerical tasks poorly (such as filling in forms).
Adults with undiagnosed dyslexia have been known to develop these coping mechanisms:
- Slow reading; need extra time to read
- Rarely read for pleasure due to extreme fatigue
- Avoids reading aloud
- Avoid saying words that might be mispronounced
- Slow responses in conversations.
- Extreme difficulty in learning foreign languages
Due to the social repercussions experienced in childhood, these adults often believe that they are stupid and that school is not a place for them. This false belief subsequently reduces their chances of getting good jobs, social support, and legal protection.
On the other hand, they have demonstrated a host of strengths:
- Original, out-of-the-box thinking, able to see the big picture
- A talent for high-level conceptualization
- Excellence when focusing on a highly specialized area, such as medicine, law, public policy, finance, architecture, or basic science.
- Do much better in any tasks not dependent on rote memory.
- Noticeably resilient and able to adapt
- Excellent writing skills if the focus is on content, not spelling.
Are people with dyslexia naturally more creative and gifted? This is not so clear – there are more anecdotal observations than decisive empirical evidence for their giftedness. Having said that, they are often resourceful and resilient, but these qualities are honed out of necessity rather than an innate gift. The more apparent and urgent issue is that they can perform as well as other employees so long as they are given the right support.
Legal Protection for People with Dyslexia
Two laws protect their rights:
- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA)
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Passed in 1990, the ADA garnered bipartisan support for its key principle that individuals with disabilities who want to work and are qualified to work must have an equal opportunity to work. The law empowers systematic initiatives to build disability inclusion in the workplace and beyond. Employers with over 15 employees must provide people with dyslexia equal opportunities in recruitment, hiring, promotions, training, pay, and social activities.
Specifically, the ADA protects an individual’s right to request reasonable accommodations during the hiring process and on the job. Reasonable accommodations refer to any accommodation that does not cause the employer undue hardship. They are considered on a case-by-case basis, ranging from small adjustments that cost nothing, to some one-off investments averaging a few hundred dollars per person (see below for more detail).
People with dyslexia are fully protected in asserting their rights to be accommodated. However, enforcement of the ADA is patchy across the country. While many major corporations have implemented programs to build a more inclusive workplace, individuals with dyslexia need to advocate for themselves to receive the support they need.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA)
Applied to children rather than adults, this law provides federal financial assistance to children with disabilities to guarantee them free special education. If any of your staff have benefited from this law, then you are in luck: they have learned how to live and work with dyslexia, and they may be able to give you suggestions on how to make your workplace more dyslexia-friendly.
Finding Work with Dyslexia
The most common barrier to finding work as someone with dyslexia is the lack of understanding and institutional support. Staying quiet, masking, and trying to cope does not make a good strategy here, because even if you get hired, seemingly inconsequential changes in the job’s nature, requirements, or environment may be detrimental to your performance. The best thing to do is to confidentially self-identify as a person with dyslexia and get the support you deserve.
We could not stress enough the importance of early diagnosis and the huge difference it could make to an individual’s career and life potential. Identified early, young adults with dyslexia would have the time to learn to live with dyslexia and advocate for themselves over the years. Moreover, job seekers and employees with dyslexia need affirmative diagnoses and documentation to qualify for accommodations.
Such diagnoses open the door to a world of support.
The relevant employment programs for them fall under the category of either disability inclusion or neurodiversity inclusion. The best companies for dyslexic individuals, and for all people with disability, have had these programs running since 2010 and before.
Best places to work for dyslexia
The best employers for people with dyslexia are those with dedicated disability inclusion Employee Resource Groups (ERG) or support programs. Such programs have built-in dyslexia accommodations throughout the course of employment, from hiring, and training, to long-term career development.
You may want to consult the Disability Equality Index 2023, with a list of the best companies for people with disabilities. This industry-recognized index has recently gone global – the Global Disability Index, opening the evaluation and support to seven countries across 30 industries.
These indexes are maintained by Disability: IN, the leading independent, third-party resource for benchmarking disability inclusion policies and programs in the corporate world.
For organization leadership, participation in the index means not just strengthening brand recognition, but also receiving professional recommendations for improvement. Top participating industries include technology, financial services, and healthcare.
For dyslexic jobseekers, consult this job board for neurodivergent people.
Workplace accommodations
Consider this long list of workplace accommodations for people with dyslexia, including tools, strategies, and case studies.
Some of the most common accommodations include:
- Have in place a confidential and judgment-free space for employees to self-identify their dyslexia (as recommended by an employee with dyslexia).
- Follow accessibility best practices with assistive technologies (see below).
- Present written materials in an accessible format, such as audio or video.
- Restructure job tasks to reduce unnecessary reading and writing.
Assistive Technology
The great thing about the dyslexia community is that there are many developers who have built technologies that serve dyslexic people just like themselves. Much innovation has happened in the space of assistive technology to help them process and comprehend information more effectively. See the inexhaustive list of assistive technology below:
- Alternative formats in audio and video to ensure equal access to information
- Smart reading pens
- Digital recorders for note-taking
- Speech-to-text and text-to-speech software
- Spelling and grammar check features.
- Software to color-code and highlight texts.
- The “Check Accessibility” feature in Microsoft Office.
- Using free dyslexia-friendly word processing software such as Dyslexia Office, or fonts such as Dyslexieand OpenDyslexic.
- A range of apps, books, and devices for dyslexics.
If your organization has not gotten these tools yet, the International Dyslexia Association has provided a guide to advocate for assistive technology tools and services. Although written for educators, this guide can be adapted for other organizational contexts.
Interview alternatives
While dyslexic employees may excel in important job-related skills, they usually do not interview well. Written job descriptions, application forms, and interviews all present challenges. Consequently, your organization should implement alternative hiring strategies to target them. Instead of complying with standards and established practices, managers need to shift their mindset to adjusting to individual contexts. Consider partnering with neurodiversity employment programs and agencies for expert advice on how to implement such adjustments.
Such groups provide a range of assistance for your organization:
- Navigate local employment regulations applied to people with disabilities
- Suggest candidates for the list of neurodiverse jobseekers
- Assist in prescreening
- Help arrange public funding for training
- Provide ongoing support for neurodiverse employees
Time Accommodations
Giving people with dyslexia more time to complete tasks is the easiest support you can give. This may include:
- Extend deadlines for completing detailed reports.
- Allow for extra time to read and respond to emails.
Create sensory safety
A quiet, distraction-free workspace or noise-canceling headphones can help dyslexic employees concentrate better.
Workload Management
Structuring tasks in a manageable way, breaking down large tasks into small chunks, and providing step-by-step instructions can be helpful. In other words, by making your workplace more inclusive for dyslexic people, the rest of your staff will benefit as well.
Job Coaches or Mentorship
A job coach can help new hires navigate their work and develop strategies to manage their dyslexia in the workplace. The BCR 2023 report has seen proven outcomes for this strategy. Consider making this more comprehensive with an organization-sponsored mentorship program. You will not just give an employee a job but also put them on a career path.
Training and Support
Offering training to all employees about dyslexia can foster an understanding and supportive workplace culture. This can be supplemented with ongoing support for dyslexic employees, such as regular check-ins to discuss any challenges or adjustments needed.
Flexible Scheduling
Allowing for a flexible schedule and remote work arrangements can accommodate the varying productivity levels of dyslexic individuals. Some might find they work best at certain times of the day.
Using 3D formats to communicate information
To help dyslexic individuals comprehend complex information, transform your information from 2D into 3D forms. Three-dimensional visual aids, tangible objects, and situations would tap into dyslexic individuals’ acumen for grasping the big picture and conceptual thinking.
Value of Neurodiversity in the Workplace
Dyslexia is one of the learning disabilities that come under the umbrella term of “neurodiversity”. Neurodiversity also includes autism, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, Asperger’s Syndrome, Tourette’s Syndrome, and ADHD, etc. This term comes from the belief that everyone is, to some extent, differently abled, because we all have different circumstances and life experiences.
For the last decade or so, a growing number of people and organizations have become more aware and supportive of neurodiversity in the workplace thanks to the works of non-profit initiatives such as Disability: Neurological differences like dyslexia are being seen as simply a part of human diversity. As a type of diversity, it is also quite common: one in fifteen people in the labor force may be neurodivergent.
Programs and Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) for neurodiverse people have been active at major corporations such as Google Disability Alliance, JPMorgan Chase, Ford Motor, Freddie Mac, Microsoft, SAP, etc. (see the list).
These companies are not doing this for charity. They are acting on valid reasons and reaping measurable rewards. Let’s consider the business case for accommodating neurodiversity in your organization.
The business case for attracting neurodiverse employees
The case is compelling. Accenture’s report has shown that companies that embrace best practices for employing and supporting people with disabilities do outperform their peers in financial metrics. The case has strengthened year by year, enabled by the rise of remote work.
These companies have been enjoying the benefits of having an active disability inclusion program. Better brand recognition attracts more qualified, under-employed neurodiverse candidates, along with their families and friends as prospective employees, partners, and customers.
Even for those outside the U.S., in Japan, Brazil, India, and more, disability inclusion effort has strengthened their reputation and stakeholder relationships, fostering trust among their employees. Moreover, the Global Boardroom Diversity Report reveals that the London Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange now include people with disabilities in their board disclosure requirements, motivated by the insight that market forces, rather than regulations, are key to advancing disability inclusion.
An untapped source of talent
The Accenture report reveals that neurodiverse people are strikingly under-employed, with only 19% in the workforce. When your organization embraced disability inclusion, you would widen your talent pool to over 10 million people – the third-largest labor market segment in the nation.
Unique skills and qualities of neurodiverse people
Problem-solving skills, adaptability, forethought, and an open mind – these are some of the common qualities you can expect from those who must adapt to a world not made for them.
Particularly, people with dyslexia tend to be original thinkers.
Their ability to process information visually predisposes them to find hidden connections, as observed by Joel Montvelisky, co-founder of PractiTest. You will need them on any team tasked with discovering patterns and trends in complex data.
Benefits for all employees
Providing reasonable accommodations for neurodiverse staff does not mean lowering expectations for them; rather, it means that all employees have what they need to do well at their jobs. In exchange for sometimes zero-cost workplace accommodations for neurodiversity, employers can improve overall employee well-being, as reported by the Job Accommodation Network. Particularly, here are some benefits:
- Improve feelings of inclusion for all employees
- Reinforce loyalty
- Raise morale
- Reduce attrition risks by more than half (according to BCG report)
- Reduce workers’ compensation and training costs
- Retain talents
Do you believe what makes or breaks an organization is its people? If yes, then it is a no-brainer to implement a neurodiversity inclusion program at your workplace. It sends a powerful message of your employee-centric ethos, which would touch not just the participants, but also their coworkers, families, and friends. Your program employees would be grateful for the support. They would stick around for longer and contribute more, simply for the fact that you see them and you make it possible for them to succeed.
