In the UK, dyslexia is covered by the provisions of the
Disabilities Discrimination Act, and meaningful protection
is afforded to dyslexic thinkers through this means.
However, is the disability framework for understanding
dyslexia actually harming dyslexic interests rather than
furthering them?
Essentially, there are four distinct challenges involved in
creating a dyslexia-friendly workplace, each of which needs
to be addressed comprehensively in order to create a
workplace culture in which diversity of thinking style can
be comfortably accommodated - and harnessed to the creation
of commercial success.
First, there is the issue that, as we discovered through
our NOP-commissioned research last summer, around 2 million
adult dyslexic thinkers are not aware of their dyslexia.
This is most likely the result of poor diagnosis a
generation ago, but also of lack of clarity around what
exactly dyslexia is.
There is a huge need for employers' awareness training that
is not clinical, but rather gives a direct and subjective
experience of what it is like to be a dyslexic thinker - so
employers can start to use their intuition to determine
when an employee may be a dyslexic thinker, and provide
appropriate help.
Secondly, all the dyslexia support in the world will be of
no avail to an employee who is frightened or ashamed to own
up to being a dyslexic thinker. In our organisation, we
have worked with dyslexic adults who had never told anyone
about their dyslexia, who woke up with repetitive
nightmares about "being found out", and who felt it was
easier to "come out" as gay in the workplace than as
dyslexic.
And this is the problem with a legal framework that
classifies dyslexia as a disability - it intensifies rather
than alleviates the immense stigma around dyslexic
thinking. We have spoken to dyslexic students who refused
to apply for the Disabled Student's Allowance because they
were so horrified by the name. Let's not underestimate the
psychological effects of calling a bright and gifted
thinker "disabled".
The elephant in the room is that dyslexia is not a
disability, but a thinking style. Dyslexic thinkers excel
in visual-spatial tasks involving whole-picture thinking
and finding original and creative solutions to things. In
2003, the BBC's Mind of a Millionaire series commissioned a
research piece into the thinking style of British
millionaires and discovered that 40% of those polled were
dyslexic thinkers. A more recent study by the Cass Business
School established a 35% correlation between dyslexia and
entrepreneurism in the US.
The disability framework for dyslexia is a convenience, but
a harmful one. It is a convenient way of assuring
protection to dyslexic thinkers in the workplace - at least
on a superficial level. It is convenient for employers and
educators because it does not require us to become curious
about the dyslexic thinking style and explore its potential.
Yet this is where the disability framework is harmful. For
the third challenge that we face in the workplace is
creating an environment where dyslexic thinkers can grow
their skills. Disability support is essentially a series of
props that presents precisely that from happening - because
disability theory preassumes a person will never be able to
master a certain skill.
Our organisation specialises in an approach which enables
dyslexic thinkers to harness their natural talent to any
learning challenge. From our work, we know that with the
right approach, dyslexic thinking becomes a learning tool,
not a learning difficulty. If a school has failed to teach
a child to read and write, wouldn't it be exciting if the
workplace were an environment where these skills could
finally be unlocked? In most cases, this creates an
immensely grateful, loyal and eager employee whose
new-found skills can be applied to the benefit of the
business.
The fourth challenge we face is how to harness dyslexic
talent in the workplace. When unsupported, dyslexic
thinkers can become "trace-coverers" - fearful individuals
who may invest a lot of energy in avoiding or deferring
challenging tasks and finding excuses why they cannot be
done. When supported, however, dyslexic thinkers can be
among the most innovative and original contributors to a
company's success.
I know a dyslexic company director who has a flair for
designing systems to maximise company efficiency. He works
on a consultancy basis to a number of companies where he
gradually reduces his own role to a minimum - through the
same efficiency principles - then moves on to the next
company while staying on a retainer with the previous.
Some of your dyslexic thinkers will have excellent sales
and/or marketing skills. Others will be highly empathetic
and have great potential on an HR team. Yet others will be
good troubleshooters, yet others will excel in workplace
design and production processes, and so on.
In an environment where dyslexia is respected as a thinking
style, frank and open conversations can take place around a
person's natural strengths and challenges, ensuring that
each dyslexic thinker is placed in a context where they can
excel, both for their own benefit and for that of their
employer.
----------------------------------------------------
The Learning People specialises in the Davis approach to
dyslexia and sees dyslexia as a gift.
http://www.thelearningpeople.co.uk
UK residents can sign The Learning People's Downing Street
petition to reclassify dyslexia as a thinking style, not a
disability.
Further detail at http://www.dyslexia-gift.org.uk
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