Dyslexia: Breaking Through Barriers
10% of the UK population are thought to be dyslexic. This means that in your team of 10, one person may have dyslexia. With such high prevalence, we all need to understand dyslexia and how it may be experienced by those around us, but also how we can support dyslexic individuals to overcome barriers and maximise their strengths. We’ve highlighted some barriers that dyslexic individuals may face and how we can help to address them.
Dyslexia can impact people in different ways, but common characteristics include challenges with:
Literacy
Working memory
Organisation
Confidence
Whilst it is important to remember the challenges that dyslexic individuals often face, and how hard they must sometimes work to overcome everyday barriers, it is also important to look at their unique strengths and talents.
Common talents and strengths of dyslexic individuals include:
Problem solving
Outside the box thinking
Being creative and innovative
Being resilient and hard working
It is these strengths that have enabled the phenomenal success of dyslexic leaders, including Dame Anita Roddick (founder of the Body Shop), Sir Richard Branson (Head of Virgin Group Ltd) and Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE (space scientist and science educator). Harnessing these strengths amongst the wider workforce is critical to meeting much publicised skills gaps across the economy.
As positive press, media coverage, scientific research and business case studies increase, so does our knowledge about the benefits of having a diverse workforce. But to really allow our diverse team to thrive, we must support them to combat and break through any barriers that they may face on an everyday basis.
Systematic barriers
Dyslexic individuals are often faced with systematic barriers as success in traditional academia in the Western world is usually based on the ability to write assignments, remember information for exams and listen to the teacher whilst note-taking in class. These are skills that dyslexic individuals often find challenging. Typically, those who do well in school, go on to get accepted into the best colleges and universities and subsequently to the most prestigious career opportunities.
This education system may fundamentally disadvantage those who find the traditional ways of classroom learning and testing difficult.
What can educators do?
Promote dyslexia screenings in schools so dyslexia can be identified and supported earlier
Provide education and increase awareness of dyslexia in schools and amongst parents
Increase awareness of assistive technology such as text-to-speech and speech-to-text software to help with reading and writing
Focus on the strengths and talents that students have, such as their musical, sporting or artistic skills
Promote practical teaching methods and apprenticeship schemes which are appropriate for a wider range of learning styles, rather than relying only on written assignments or traditional classroom teaching
Emotional barriers
Many dyslexic individuals remember comments from their teachers such as “just try harder”, “stop being lazy”, “you are so bright, just put more effort into it”. The frustration and confusion that comes with trying so hard and not getting the results that peers do, along with teachers and/or parents misinterpreting behaviour as laziness, can cause an emotional barrier for dyslexic people.
If dyslexic children meet frustration and ‘failure’ time and time again, it can lead to feelings of low self-esteem and low self-confidence, as well as feelings of being inferior compared to peers. This can continue into adulthood and the working environment as challenges with literacy can continue into adulthood.
What can employers do?
Focus on strengths
Build confidence through providing positive feedback
Listen to needs, worries and emotions
Share success stories
Encourage dyslexic team members to access mentoring by role models who have had similar experiences of dyslexia
Encourage dyslexic team members to join peer networking and support groups
Societal barriers
Many of us have heard of the medical model compared to the social model when describing theoretical frameworks and approaches to disability. Whilst many neurodivergent individuals don’t identify with the word ‘disabled’, the same principles apply. The medical model focuses on ‘impairments’ and ‘deficits’ and suggests we can support or ‘fix’ disabled people through medicines and/or adjustments. Whereas the social model suggests that instead of altering disabled individuals, we need to alter society as ultimately it is society that contributes to the barriers that disabled people face.
Such social barriers are socially constructed ideals that cause stigmatisation, discrimination and negative attitudes towards neurodivergent or disabled individuals because of unconscious bias and lack of understanding and awareness. Fear of stigma can reduce the willingness of dyslexic individuals to disclose their dyslexia – in a survey by Made By Dyslexia (2017) 73%,of respondents said that they hide their dyslexia from employers. This can hinder access to effective support.
What can employers do?
Educate ourselves about neurodiversity and dyslexia
Challenge any misconceptions or unconscious bias we have on neurodiversity or dyslexia
Recognise that we are all different and all have different cognitive strengths and challenges, changing the narrative from ‘deficits’ to ‘differences’.
Embed neuro-inclusive practice and policy to ensure neurodivergent individuals are not disadvantaged at any part of an employee’s life cycle at work, from recruitment and onboarding to promotion, talent management and leadership training
Embed an easily accessible adjustments process and policy to ensure neurodivergent individuals are able to seek the adjustments they are entitled to without any barriers
Summary
In a world that is built for the majority, or the ‘neurotypical’ way of thinking, we need to remember that thinking differently is not wrong, or something that needs to be changed. Instead, as a society, let’s support these differences by working to remove barriers and allow people to be their best and authentic selves.
Helen Musgrove
Director of Psychological Consulting at Lexxic
If you would like to get in touch with Lexxic to find out more about raising awareness of neurodiversity within your organisation to help to breakdown some of the barriers, please feel free to get in touch by sending us an email.
Learn more about dyslexia, take a look at Dyslexia: Do you Feel Like you’re Not Good Enough?