I concur with Anne and Sharon,

Changing the background colour on the screen can help, also if there is any printing of documents to be done I have suggested print onto yellow paper in the past which has helped some people. Of course, as we all recognise, no one size fits all; it’s complicated so signposting them to an assessment with an Educational Psychologist (paid for and organised by the employer, not OH) has been the best approach in the past in my experience…

I can see your point. Supporting someone with dyslexia is quite complex as the needs of each person could differ. A referral to a psychologist for a full assessment should occur if the basic screening test indicates that the person could have a problem. I consider those screening tests to be the equivalent of a “Keystone” eye test. It only highlights those with sub-optimal vision – an optometrist is the professional best  qualified to undertake a full assessment.

My experience of dyslexia in the workplace has not been very positive – Access to Work – well no comment. Because I have always “just got on with it” I continued to “just get on with it”. A colleague was particularly spiteful in relation to me having dyslexia. It could have escalated into bullying (and harassment – as dyslexia is a disability which could be covered by employment legislation). I was able to deal with it through appropriate channels as I am articulate, was not prepared to tolerate her behaviour and had the knowledge of employment legislation that my colleague did not have. Had she been using similar tactics with others without that knowledge then it could have escalated ending in work related  stress which could have resulted in OH involvement.

Anne




On 18/07/2012 07:48, "sharon naylor" <[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]> wrote:

There have been many discussions on this subject on this list, I am one that does not think that dyslexia is necessarily an OH issue although in reality we do tend to sign post along the way. I would not dream to try and fix someones Ferrari cos I know what it looks like, likewise I dont advise on reasonable adjustments etc with cases of dyslexia because I frankly dont know what I am talking about.
 
All 3 of my adult children have dyslexia - there are affected in different ways, their coping strategies vary enormously, what helps one does not help the other. All 3 get very irritated with a generic approach to dyslexia very quickly....
 
Therefore I always start with the recommendation of a full assessment (not one of those screening things that HR do), and within that assessment it should contain details of SPECIFIC things that could be done to help the individual
 
Good luck!
 
> Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2012 07:24:47 +0100
> From: [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [OCC-HEALTH] Dyslexia
> To: [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
>
> Thanks for sharing a very "real" example with the list.
> Regards
> Janet P
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
> Sent: 17 July 2012 23:28
> To: [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [OCC-HEALTH] Dyslexia
>
> Hello Sandra
>
> Having dyslexia is not straightforward, I have dyslexia as does my daughter.
> I have developed my own coping mechanisms. It can be quite complex and is not  just about spelling nor reading - having access to a dictionary is not necessarily much help - it depends on the individual. The person with dyslexia may not have any idea of where to look in the dictionary to find the word they need. If they find it they may copy it incorrectly.
>
>  With regard to  reading - many dyslexics can read perfectly well - it just takes longer to assimilate what they have just read. When writing, many dyslexics know just what they want to incorporate but it takes them longer to communicate their ideas fluently. As a lecturer with qualifications upto and including an MSc I have demonstrated that I can read - however, my reading speed (for understanding and retention) is below that of my peers.
>
> There are a number of aids, including assistive technology such as Dragon Naturally Speaking which may assist. Changing the background colour of the computer screen to a more offwhite or creamy finish may also assist. An occ psychologist would be able to do a full assessment and make recommendations.
>
> I find keeping up with looking at lines of text such as presented at exam boards a challenge. A pale blue acetate overlay really made it a much more comfortable experience. A specialist assessment may help as that will give an indication as to the support mechanisms which she may find helpful.
>
> I have co-authored two articles published in the OH journal - these refs will give you an idea:
>
>       Harriss, A and Cooper, R (2005) Dyslexia in the Workplace Occupational Health March issue (sorry the ref is incomplete)
>
>     Harriss, A and Ricketts K (2009) Dealing with dyslexia Occupational
> Health      61(11) 18-20
>
> I hope this is helpful
>
> Anne Harriss
> Course Director
> LONDON SOUTH BANK UNIVERSITY
>
>
>
>
> On 17/07/2012 15:37, "Sandra Edwards" <[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > Hie List
> > I have seen a DSE user this afternoon with Dyslexia. I was wondering
> > if anyone out there has dealth with such cases before or if there is
> > any resources that I can use. From my assessment although I hate to
> > say this, she seems to have challenging behaviour as well. She has
> > mentioned during the conversation that she struggles mainly with
> > spellings but reading is ok (although not sure to what degree). She
> > has been employed for two weeks and still on training. Not sure how
> > she will cope when the training finishes. The Manager has already
> > identified the problems with spellings and she (the employee) did mention at one stage that she can bring a dictionary into work.
> > Please help! Just wondering from an Occupational Health point of view
> > if we can offer something.
> > Regards
> > Sandra
> >
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