Beyond Words. Contents

Transcription

1 B D le s y xia r o W d n o ey re wa A s s ne k e e W r be k c a P o t c O 1 e c la p k r o W s d

2 Beyond Words Welcome! Thank you for taking part in our Dyslexia Awareness Week. We hope that this year will be the biggest week yet, spreading information throughout the country. This year s theme is Beyond Words. It strives to tackle the misconception that dyslexia only affects someone s reading and writing. In fact dyslexia can cause a range of difficulties and strengths including organisational and time management problems and creative vision. It is vital that employers and the dyslexic individuals themselves understand that they are struggling with certain aspects of work life because of dyslexia, and not because they are stupid or not trying hard enough. Furthermore, the gifts that dyslexia can bring need to be celebrated. This pack is full of information and activities to help you spread awareness about dyslexia and help people realise that dyslexia is: beyond words! Contents 1) Identifying dyslexia 2) How to make your organisation dyslexia friendly 3) Activities a. With dyslexic employees b. With the office 4) What the BDA offers organisations

3 Written Work Standard of written work not consistent with oral ability Confuses letters which look similar e.g. (b/d, p/g) Spells a word several different ways in one piece of writing Has difficulty with punctuation and/or grammar Reading Avoids reading aloud or is hesitant when doing so Misses out words/lines when reading Has difficulty picking out all the salient points from a long written document Finds filing alphabetically difficult Numeracy R Difficulty remembering anything in a sequential order Finds mental arithmetic at speed very difficult Can think at a high level in mathematics, but needs a calculator for simple calculations Organisation and Behaviour Is late for meetings Disorganised and messy desk Confuses direction left/right Difficulty following lots of instructions given at once Distracted by conversations/ movement near work space E=MC2+4-5x6 Strengths of Dyslexia right left Sees the big picture Strong visual skills Creative talent Innovative thinking and excellent trouble shooting Coping strategies add value e.g. great project organisation as learnt strategies to deal with difficulties from young age Identifying Dyslexia

4 Scenario: Produces excellent work but sometimes forgets full instructions Reason: Working memory problems mean that employees can t hold onto several instructions at once Give instructions/ information in a multi-sensory way i.e. verbally, written and demonstrated Make instructions short, simple and precise Scenario: Takes incomplete notes in meetings? Reason: Working memory and writing difficulties mean individual struggles to write notes and keep up with the meeting Give salient information/action points in written document Provide assistive technology i.e tape recorder or recording pen Scenario: Has original ideas but is hesitant to contribute in meetings Reason: Takes time for new information to sink in/difficulty reading new info and listening to meeting Allow employee time to prepare for meeting Provide new information (especially written reports) in time to be read and for information to sink in Scenario: Is often late for events/meetings Reason: Organisation difficulties Encourage use of wall planners, diaries and mobiles to set reminders/alarms Give notice of a meeting a week before for preparation Remind of the event the day before/day of for time keeping How dyslexia affects your colleagues

5 Scenario: Words move around on the page when they try to read Reason: Some dyslexic people have visual stress Use pastel coloured paper to print on/write on instead of black words on white background Look into coloured overlays for employee s personal use B Scenario: Brings lots of energy and ideas but struggles to manage workload Reason: Processing and organisational difficulties Build planning time into each day Encourage use of daily, dated to do lists Give clear deadlines and priorities R A D Scenario: Written work has good content but erratic spelling/grammar Reason: Poor visual and working memory Provide spell/grammar checking assistive technology (more powerful than Word spell checker) Provide text to speech assistive technology that reads work back to individual so they can hear mistakes Provide speech to text assistive technology that writes text from individual s dictation Scenario: Gets distracted by conversations and movement near desk spelnig iz trikiey Reason: Division of attention difficulties Provide a workspace with few distractions or a quite space they can go when necessary Allow use of noise cancelling headphones Make your workplace dyslexia friendly

6 Activities: With Dyslexic Employees : Set Up a Support Group Many dyslexic people think they are the only person struggling. They may have gone through life feeling different from others, especially if they were only diagnosed as an adult Furthermore, while dyslexic difficulties are often individual to a person there is a lot that dyslexic people can share with each other about their experiences and coping strategies. This is why dyslexia support groups within a workplace can be so helpful. During dyslexia awareness week set up a informal meet up in lunch time that all with dyslexia are invited to attend (or all with disabilities if you d like it to be a wider support group). The group can take any form that suits a round table discussion where people share experiences or ask questions of each other, an informal group that meets socially or simply an group that people can send questions or ideas to. Test Your Readability! Enable readability on your Microsoft word documents by going to: File -> Options -> Proofing -> under when correcting spelling in grammar in Word check the show readability statistics box. Flesch Reading Ease Score: Rates on a 100 point scale. The higher the score the easier it is to understand. Aim for a score of 70. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Score: Rates on a U.S grade-school reading level. Aim for approximately 5. You can reach a better score by using shorter sentences without dumbing down vocabulary! Activities

7 Activities within the Office: Dyslexia Friendly Documents Challenge the office to produce all their documentation in a dyslexia friendly way for the week. Below are some things to start with but you can get the full info form our style guide. Media: Paper should be thick enough to prevent the other side showing through Avoid black writing on white backgrounds which can cause the letters to jumps around Use cream or a soft pastel colour Font Use plain, evenly spaced sans serif font such as Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, Century Gothic, Trebuchet Use dark coloured text on a light (not white) background Use font size point Headings and Emphasis Avoid underlining and italics AVOID TEXT IN BLOCK CAPITALS Use bold or boxes/borders Layout Align text to the left don t use justification Line spacing of 1.5 is preferable Use bullet points and numbering rather than continuous prose Avoid cramping information and dense paragraphs. Space it out! Writing Style Use Pictures and images instead of words Give your words a visual emphasis with flowcharts and mindmaps Use short, simple sentences in a direct style Avoid long sentences of explanation Use active rather than passive voice Activities

8 Books Dyslexia in the Workplace Suitable for employers and dyslexic employees. Topics covered include the nature of dyslexia and other associated learning difficulties, the types of assessment that can be done and the types of help and support that can be provided to a dyslexic employee in the form of training, technology, and reasonable adjustments. Code of Practice for Employers This is a great resource for employers and HR departments. It covers how to support employees with dyslexic difficulties including: guidance on recruitment, written tests, training, promotion, appraisals and disciplinary procedures, performance and assessments, reasonable adjustments and an employer s obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act/Equality Act Our books can be bought on Conferences We run a range of conferences to give employers insights into dyslexia and other co-occurring difficulties. These provide practical help and insights for HR personnel and managers. These events also offer the opportunity to network with other employers and dyslexia specialists. More information at International Conference: Our renowned International Conference held every 3 years is coming in 2014! This high profile conference links academic researchers with practitioners. The theme is Impact Through Innovation, promising to join cutting edge research from around the world with identification, intervention and support. Early Bird rates are available until 31st October. Book at Further resources from the British Dyslexia Association

9 Organisational Membership The best way to keep up to date, and be part of, the dyeslxia world is to become a member of the BDA. Join our association to gain a range of benefits to help you re organisation be dyslexia friendly. We offer training, discounts, publications and networking opportunities. Join at Training The British Dyslexia Association provides clear and helpful expert training that you can put into practice in your organisation. We offer open courses for employers on a range of topics from identifying dyslexia to implementing reasonable adjustments or bespoke training tailored to your needs. Our training enables you to help dyslexic employees flourish in your organisation For more information and full dates visit Dyslexia Friendly Quality Mark We believe that a whole organisation approach is essential in providing the correct working environment for dyslexic pupils. Changing practice to accommodate dyslexic individuals also often results in good practice for everyone. We offer the BDA Dyslexia Friendly Quality Mark scheme. The scheme helps organisations reach the gold standard in dyslexia friendly practices. For an information pack qualitymark@bdadyslexia.org.uk Further resources from the British Dyslexia Association