Running head: Transition from school to work for dyslexic learners

STRATEGIES USED TO ASSIST STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA THRIVE IN THE WORK

PLACE: TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL TO WORK PLACE.

CHANGU JACOB- 201703279

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Running head: Transition from school to work for dyslexic learners

Introduction

In their educational experiences, social settings and in the workplace, dyslexic people

experience many difficulties. In addition, because of the lack of achievements, especially in

academics, they suffer from frustration and low self-esteem, which can affect their long-term life

opportunities. They can face issues such as discrimination, time management issues,

organizational problems and stress and anxiety in the workplace. Dyslexia is defined as a

learning disability that causes reading difficulties because of problems interpreting speech

sounds and learning how letters and words are related (decoding). Dyslexia is described by

Beetham and Okhai (2017) as a learning disability that primarily affects the abilities involved in

precise and fluent word reading and spelling. They also claimed that dyslexia exists across the

spectrum of intellectual ability and that it is likely to be present at birth and its consequences will

be life-long. It is distinguished by phonological processing difficulties, rapid naming, working

memory, processing speed and the automatic production of skills that may not fit the other

cognitive abilities of a person (Beetham and Okhai, 2017). According to Jackson (2020) many

people with disabilities do not have fair access to health care, education and job opportunities, do

not receive the services they need due to disabilities, and are excluded from daily activities. He

however say almost all work can be done by someone with a disability, and most people with

disabilities can be productive, provided the right environment.

This term paper presents the literature review on the strategies used to assist dyslexic

students thrive in the work place. The paper is structured into the following areas; different

studies conducted in relation to the support strategies used to help students with dyslexia to

thrive in the work place by different authors. The following will be addressed in our paper which

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Running head: Transition from school to work for dyslexic learners

are; strategies used to assist these students to thrive in the work place. This literature review will

also cover up summary on what is learnt from the literature.

What are the challenges faced by dyslexic individuals in the work place?

A variety of factors have an effect on the performance of the labor market for people with

disabilities, including; productivity differentials; imperfections of the labor market due to

discrimination and prejudice; and disincentives generated by disability benefit systems (World

Health Organization, 2011). Many countries have laws banning discrimination on the basis of

disability to resolve labor market imperfections and promote the jobs of people with disabilities

(World Health Organization, 2011). Dyslexia is a latent disorder and it is widely believed that it

actually affects the ability of a person to read and write by lack of consciousness (Leather, 2018).

As a result of this, he noted that many adults who face difficulties with their job tasks might not

actually acknowledge that dyslexia may cause them to struggle. In addition to the dyslexia-

related stigma and discrimination, many of these people may be hesitant to seek support because

they are worried that this may have detrimental effects (Alexander-Passe, 2015).These

individuals are generally worried with how people view them, how this can influence their

reputation and the possible larger and long-term effect on their career (Alexander-Passe, 2015).

Kirby and Gibbon (2018) says depending on their own particular difficulties, their

position and the community in which they function, the types of challenges that the dyslexic

person faces in the workplace can differ. Some of the more common challenges, however are:

time management, coordination, preparation, structuring written correspondence and presenting

knowledge, they add. If these difficulties impair their ability to achieve goals and the quality of

their job is not up to the desired level, line managers who do not understand dyslexia (and neuro-

divergent conditions) are likely to see this as a performance issue and may mistakenly initiate a

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Running head: Transition from school to work for dyslexic learners

structured performance improvement process instead of pointing the individual to a source of

information and screening (Huettig & Janse, 2016).

World Health Organization (2011) state that in the labor market, people with disabilities

are disadvantaged. For example, their lack of access to education and training or financial

support may be responsible for removing them from the job market, but it may also be the nature

of the workplace or the expectations of employers of people with disabilities and disabilities

(World Health Organization, 2011). They further say young people with disabilities often lack

access to formal education or the ability to improve their skills particularly in the increasingly

important field of information technology. Therefore the difference in educational achievement

between people with disabilities and those without disabilities is an ever growing challenge, they

added.

Misconceptions about disability- Misconceptions about the work performance potential

of people with disabilities are an important explanation both for their continued unemployment

and for their exclusion from career advancement opportunities (Sharma, 2018). He also stated

that because of stereotypes about their abilities or because they do not want to include them in

their workforce, employers might discriminate against people with disabilities.

Anxiety/Stress- It is noted in the workplace that unsupported dyslexic/neuro divergent

workers will experience higher levels of adverse stress and anxiety (Livingston et al, 2017). They

say stress can lead to an anxiety disorder and mental ill-health over a long period of time. A

scenario that is both expensive for the individual and the organization, they added.

Disclosure and Declaration- Dyslexia has been primarily associated with difficulties for

too long and often erroneously associated with low IQ (or low global capacity) and the resulting

stigma and discrimination has discouraged many adults from finding adequate assistance

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Running head: Transition from school to work for dyslexic learners

(Nalavany et al, 2015). They suggest that these feelings of fear and hesitation influence people in

all sorts of job positions, but this seems to have been particularly so in the case of dyslexic

academics. They felt alienated and deeply afraid of disclosure because of a lack of general

awareness and insufficient resources being readily accessible, as being seen as a dyslexic

academic may have the potential to undermine their academic/professional reputation (Nalavany

et al, 2015).

According to Livingston et al (2018) individuals express fear of disclosure due to

workplace victimization or workmate intimidation. They say many who fully understand

dyslexia and respect neurodiversity in organizations, teams and workplaces, however, understand

that processing differences can bring additional abilities such as imagination, creative thinking

and problem solving skills, and that is precisely why many of these people are in their current

positions. People with dyslexia-related processing differences, for instance, usually think outside

the box and try to solve previously unresolved issues and come up with creative new ideas

(Austin & Pisano, 2017). They feel added strain, start working longer hours to complete tasks

and/or encounter problems with social contact with colleagues, as a result of which it can begin

to take a physical and mental toll on their health (Livingston et al, 2017).

What are the support strategies for dyslexic individuals in the work place?

Many people with dyslexia benefit from external aids that enable them to learn and work

independently (Dawson et al, 2019). It is important for a person to feel comfortable seeking

assistance that everyone has an accurate understanding of what dyslexia is and only when

widespread knowledge of dyslexia is reached will the outdated and unhelpful assumptions and

obstacles be eliminated (Kirby & Gibson, 2018). Ideally, there must be a transparent and usable

mechanism (and associated instructions for line managers, individuals and HR) for individuals to

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Running head: Transition from school to work for dyslexic learners

be able to access help, so that everybody in the organization has access to (Kirby & Gibson,

2018). They further note that everyone can be guaranteed to receive a quality service with this in

place and feel assured that they will be handled equally without fear of discrimination.

According to Beetham and Okhai (2017) the company should settle on the most suitable

process of screening and/or identification to meet the needs of individuals and the organization.

After this, a certified Workplace Needs Assessor can give the employee a Workplace Needs

Assessment (Beetham and Okhai (2017). They say that the assessor of workplace needs will then

produce a report providing guidelines for workplace changes that are specific to the individual's

needs and their work environment. These modifications are likely to include: assistive

technology, associated technology training and a professional coping strategy coaching program

to help people build more successful coping strategies and incorporate resources that can all be

adapted to each individual's needs (Dawson et al, 2019). Assistive technology training can help

dyslexic workers develop experience in advanced hardware and software and then use particular

applications to enhance output in areas such as: reading and writing speed and accuracy;

preparing and delivering written documents; documenting and remembering meetings and

decisions; and job organization, planning and tracking (Dawson et al, 2019).

According to Kirby and Gibson (2018) here are ways employers can help workers with

workplace dyslexia: setting up a mentoring scheme, diagnostic evaluation, developing dyslexia-

friendly material, modifying the communication style, training services, assistive technology,

raising awareness, alternative workspace, encouraging the use of calendars and alarms, specialist

stationery. 1) Set up a mentoring scheme- This ensures that staff are more comfortable talking

about learning issues and are willing to come forward and ask for support (Doyle, 2014). A

mentoring program will provide someone who may have anxiety, mental wellbeing or some

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Running head: Transition from school to work for dyslexic learners

other form of learning disability in the workplace a variety of personalized advice and support,

not just dyslexia (Doyle, 2014). 2) Diagnostic Assessment- Employers can consider the

particular needs of the employees with dyslexia through diagnostic assessments (Beetham and

Okhai, 2017). 3) Create dyslexia-friendly content- When you understand that an employee has

dyslexia, it is possible to make appropriate modifications to help them handle job material

(Lopez & Campoverde, 2018). Using an easy-to-read font such as Arial or Comic Sans, for

example small or italic fonts may make letters look more crowded (Lopez & Campoverde,

2018). They add that using headings to provide structure and to avoid background patterns or

images as they may detract from the text can also be useful.

4) Adapt your communication style- It is worth asking any dyslexic workers what their

favorite communication form is (Farrell et al, 2016). They say this is because if the individual is

a visual learner, you can use a mind map or flow chart to work best at significant points. Note

that everybody acts differently, so ask the person what works best to ensure that you get the most

out of them (Farrell et al, 2016). 5) Training services- According to Beetham and Okhai (2017)

The British Dyslexic Association and the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre provide a variety of

training programs to ensure that all participants profit from one another. They suggest one can

make sure they put a reasonable budget aside to invest in services to support people with

dyslexia. 6) Assistive technology- For those with dyslexia, some technical devices may make

working life easier (Dawson et al, 2019). Speech recognition software, for example, enables

speech to be translated into text, and vice versa, takes out the reading and writing task, which can

also take a dyslexic employee much longer (Dawson et al, 2019). 7) Raise awareness- Kirby and

Gibson (2018) says this can be done through training for line managers to understand how to

provide appropriate support running a dyslexia awareness course in the workplace for all

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Running head: Transition from school to work for dyslexic learners

workers, using a trained and experienced dyslexia specialist. They further note that this will help

to explain any misunderstandings around dyslexia and help make it comfortable for all workers

to deal with it. 8) Alternative workspace- According to Kirby and Gibson (2018) noisy and busy

workplaces can make it difficult for dyslexic staff to focus, so it can be useful to provide

alternate working environments to support them. For instance, enabling these staff to use a

meeting room to help them concentrate when they need to. If this is not feasible, then offer

headphones or earplugs as an alternative, they suggest.

9) Encourage the use of calendars and alarms- Farrell et al (2016) says dyslexics can

benefit from seeing things more visually, so it can help to monitor time more visually by using

calendars and alarms. This in turn would help staff stay on time and help them prepare their day

and week (Farrell et al, 2016). They also state that the use of diary invites and desk calendars

may also be valuable reminders of important deadlines. 10) Specialist stationery- Black text on

white paper can be troublesome as it can be dazzling in white and make reading more difficult

(Beetham and Okhai, 2017). They say it may be preferable to use paper with lighter tones such

as yellow or pink, as well as thicker pens such as gel pens, which helps team members

understand their writing better. Organizations need to understand that everybody functions

differently and must strive to respond to individual needs because their skills vary from those

with dyslexia (Beetham and Okhai, 2017). Kirby & Gibson (2018) says in order to encourage

workers to speak openly about dyslexia and other learning difficulties, employers should build a

transparent atmosphere. They mention that this will allow the whole company and all its workers

to work better and be profitable with the right support.

James and Buggle (2019) says without adequate support, the person is less likely to

perform to their full potential, and their morale and diminished involvement are also likely to be

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Running head: Transition from school to work for dyslexic learners

affected. The realization that some career options are more appealing to dyslexic people and that

it will help to realize possible latent ability through taking a constructive approach to providing

adequate support (James and Buggle, 2019). Although this assistance is needed in any form of

workplace, there are a few forward-looking organizations that have led the way (Beetham and

Okhai, 2017). Shell, for example, has a mentoring program developed with guidance from the

British Dyslexia Association and a support program for its direct participants and their families

from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (thus acknowledging and supporting the genetic pre-

disposition of neuro-divergent conditions).

Conclusion

Almost all work can be done productively by someone with a disability, and most people

with disabilities can be productive, provided the right environment. Yet people with disabilities

in the working age face considerably lower job rates and even higher unemployment rates than

people without disabilities. This is due to a variety of factors, including lack of access to

education and vocational rehabilitation and training, lack of access to financial services,

disability benefit disincentives, workplace inaccessibility, and the views of employers of people

with disabilities. In improving labour market opportunities for people with disabilities there are

ways in which employers can help workers with workplace dyslexia which are: setting up a

mentoring scheme, diagnostic evaluation, developing dyslexia-friendly material, modifying the

communication style, training services, assistive technology, raising awareness, alternative

workspace, encouraging the use of calendars and alarms, specialist stationery.

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Running head: Transition from school to work for dyslexic learners

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Doyle, N. (2014). Supporting stressed staff. Occupational Health & Wellbeing, 66(5), 14.

Farrell, M., Styles, M., & Petersen, L. (2016). Supporting dyslexic trainees in classroom and

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Huettig, F., & Janse, E. (2016). Individual differences in working memory and processing speed

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Jackson, N. (2020). People with Dyslexia in Winnipeg: Experiences as Children and Adults.

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Kirby, A., & Gibbon, H. (2018). Dyslexia and employment. Perspectives on Language and

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Livingston, E. M., Siegel, L. S., & Ribary, U. (2018). Developmental dyslexia: Emotional impact

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