We are now in full swing of Dyslexia Awareness Week, created by the wonderful British Dyslexia Association. We want to look at dyslexia at work and what solutions are out there to improve the individual’s success and enable independence.

Dyslexia at Work

People will experience different characteristics of dyslexia, whether they have difficulty taking notes in meetings, writing emails or processing instructions. If they have had a bad academic experience, they may also have a lack of confidence and self-esteem in the workplace.

As nearly 10% of the population has dyslexia, it’s one of the most common disabilities. Most workplaces will have someone with dyslexia working for them, whether they are aware of it or not. Under the 2010 Equality Act, employers must make workplace adjustments for their employees when the staff member has disclosed their disability and requested support.

Assistive technology is a popular solution to help dyslexia in the workplace, as there are multiple products out there can be tailored toward the individual, such as speech recognition software that allows them to translate their words into digital text or mind-mapping, which helps the individual plan their project. Get in touch with a member of our team if you are looking for the best solution for you or your staff members.

If you are looking for government support to fund dyslexia provision, you can go through Access to Work. For more information, get in touch with your local job centre who can let you know the next steps in acquiring support, which can cover assistive technology and training and also workplace coaching.

Here is how assistive technology has helped our staff members…

Reece, Commercial Executive
“I have used a variety of AT (assistive tech), but for me Inspiration was the most useful. It didn’t take long to get used to, and allowed me to quickly get my ideas down. Once I had listed all of my ideas it was easy to organise them into mind maps. These maps then formed the structure of my reports and projects. I have found that by spending a little time listing ideas and exploring how they are related to each other, I became much more confident whilst writing.”

John, Relationship Manager

“After joining the staff at Iansyst and at last understanding my dyslexia, I realised the dyslexia created a breakdown of communication and connection between my brain, eyes and hands. Dragon, a speech recognition program has been an amazing discovery for me as I do not have a problem with my communication and I can now type ‘accurately’ as fast as can I talk. Absolutely brilliant!”

At iansyst, we provide assistive technology training, so all staff members can feel confident and know how to best utilise their technology in the workplace. Our team of nationwide trainers will visit the individual in their place of work and tailor the product to their work preference to help with productivity.

If you wish to know more about our products or how we can work with your organisation to create an inclusive environment for not only individuals with dyslexia, but for all disabilities, please get in contact with us at commercial@iansyst.co.uk or ring us on 01223 420 101.