Dyslexia is covered under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, updated October 2004.

From 1 October 2010, the Equality Act replaced most of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
However, the Disability Equality Duty in the DDA continues to apply.
Find out about the protection and legal rights the Equality Act provides for dyslexic people.

The Act states:
“A physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities”.

The statement ‘A physical or mental impairment’ is further defined in the guidance relating to the definition of disability document available at:
http://www.equalityhumanrights.com

In brief, it states that ‘A disability can arise from a wide range of impairments’ which can be:

• developmental, such as autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), dyslexia and dyspraxia

• learning difficulties

Furthermore the guidance states: “It is the effects of these impairments that need to be considered, rather than the underlying conditions themselves.”

It is therefore incumbent upon employers to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ in the workplace for individuals with dyslexia. It must be remembered that the Act applies from the point that the job is advertised until retirement.

Employers must make reasonable adjustments from the job application stage through to retirement or at the point the person receives their P45.

Dyslexia occurs irrespective of intelligence. It is a mix of ability and difficulties. Dyslexia affects individuals differently so that no two dyslexic people are alike.

Dyslexia need not be a barrier to success in the workplace. The majority of dyslexic individuals only require acceptance that they work in a different way.

Reasonable adjustments need not be expensive or difficult to implement. The best way to understand what a dyslexic employee needs is to discuss it with them.

For more information on the Equality Act 2010 visit: http://www.equalities.gov.uk/equality_act_2010.aspx

How to Support a
Dyslexic Employee

Dyslexia Awareness UK provides training for managers and HR practitioners to enable them to understand what dyslexia is, how to identify dyslexia, what to do if you suspect someone has dyslexia, what reasonable adjustments are and how to support a dyslexic employee.

We can provide a tailor made training workshop to meet the individual requirements of your company.

This can be delivered as a full or half day workshop or as a lunch time session.

We are also happy to provide an audit of how ‘dyslexia friendly’ your organisation is with follow up advice and guidance on how to make your company compliant under the terms of the Disability Discrimination Act.

This consultancy takes approximately two hours (dependent upon how many individuals are involved) and the cost includes a written report.