Top tips for supporting your employees with dyslexia

In response to Starbucks losing a disability discrimination claim made by an employee with dyslexia, Robin Christopherson, Head of Digital Inclusion at AbilityNet shares his top tips on how technology can be used to support your employees with dyslexia.

Discriminating against your employees with dyslexia has been unlawful since the first disability discrimination legislation was introduced over 20 years ago.

But, it’s been much reported in the media today as a result of Starbucks employee Meseret Kumulchew winning her disability discrimination case.

Starbucks did not make the workplace adjustments Ms Kumulchew needed in order for her to be able to do her job and now the coffee company may have to pay compensation.

The ruling doesn’t set a new legal precedent, but it is an important reminder for all employers to check that you’re doing everything you can to support your employees with dyslexia.

According to the British Dyslexia Association around 1 in 10 people have dyslexia and require additional support with reading, writing and numbers.

Fortunately there are a lot of simple, low-cost solutions that can be used to help your employees with dyslexia:

• Changing the standard computer settings such as changing the colour background of Word documents to blue or yellow rather than white
• Add your top 50 or 100 most commonly misspelt words into Word’s autocorrect to instantly improve your writing
• Using text-to-speech software to have chunks of text read aloud
• Installing a dyslexia-friendly font such as Dyslexie or Open-Dyslexic
• Providing extra support with note-taking – a digital recording device
• Ensuring important documents for meetings are distributed in advance and not just handed out in the meeting.

The important thing for employers to remember is that the support needed by each of your employees with dyslexia is unique to them. It’s vital to ensure that from the very beginning of the recruitment process, through induction into employment and career development that you routinely assess your employees needs and check that you’re doing everything you can to accommodate them.

VERCIDA works with over one hundred clients who are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. If you are an employer and interested in working with VERCIDA to promote your diversity and inclusion initiatives and attract the best candidates, please call 02037405973 or email [email protected] for more information.

We are also officially recommended by Disability Confident as a step on achieving Employer status, please click here for more information.