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| B | A | C | K | G | R | O | U | N | D | _ | C | O | L | O | R |
'Dyslexia in the Workplace' |
'Dyslexia
in the Workplace', by Diana Bartlett and Sylvia Moody, Whurr Publishers, London,
2000. ISBN 1861561725 ($33.95, £19.50)
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Most of the attention in writing about dyslexia has been on dyslexic children
in an educational context. The focus has been on assessment and enhancement of
their learning skills in mainstream classrooms. It is refreshing to find two authors
describing the difficulties experienced by dyslexic adults at work, as well as
outlining methods that can allow them to manage their difficulties and achieve
success. The authors, who are both practitioners working with dyslexic adults, write from different but complementary perspectives about the importance of proper assessment (and the relief that usually flows from a diagnosis 'in black and white'), and about the techniques that can be learned to deal with the clerical, message-taking, report-writing and other language- and text-based procedures that come with almost any job. The emotional reactions to having to struggle with a handicap like dyslexia are illustrated vividly with reports from dyslexic adults describing how it feels to be working in such a challenging context. 'Confusion and bewilderment', 'Embarrassment, shame and guilt', 'Frustration and anger', 'Anxiety, fear and panic', 'Despondency', and 'Depression and despair' are among the sub-headings describing reactions to what can be overwhelming demands. Were it not for the precise explanations of how to cope with the difficulties presented by working in offices (and other work situations with similar tasks involving memory, spelling, planning and organization), all would be ‘doom and gloom! But far from it. The authors present step-by-step guidance on each of the tasks encountered. One illustrative example is of a person struggling to work through quantities of invoices all day. The task overwhelms her and she is permanently behind with her work. She is then given advice about putting colored columns and highlights on the sheet of dense figures she uses for each invoice. This allows her to scan the figures far more easily and 'before long, everyone else in the department had asked for a copy'. She then moved on to re-organizing her tasks so that, for example, she looked up the VAT on twenty invoices all together, followed on to total all the twenty invoices, and so on, until she had the satisfaction of a whole pile of completed work. Previously she has worked on the various tasks for each invoice separately, constantly changing tasks and making many errors. At the end of this re-organization she could easily complete her work in the time available, she was able to raise her level of accuracy, and she experienced job satisfaction. Work strategies are outlined, showing how to break jobs down into smaller tasks, and how to make use of visual and creative strengths. Management of time and tasks by the use of diaries and calendars, making action lists, planning each day's work, and organizing the work space are explained with examples so that a dyslexic person can begin to feel in control. The feeling of not being in control is what leads to stress, and ways of reducing this are explained, such as relaxation techniques, body language, assertiveness and the use of a form of self-help cognitive therapy to restore an accurate perception of one's strengths and weaknesses. Reading and remembering work documents is dealt with in considerable detail. Techniques such as highlighting key words, making associations to help memory, using visualization and sound equipment are explained, and recommendations made for using computer programs that can read text aloud (e.g. TextHelp) or can type what you speak. Employers' reactions to learning that one of their staff is dyslexic are frequently mis-judged by the worker, who fears possible dismissal. It is often the case that employers react in a sympathetic and helpful way. However, sympathy alone is not sufficient to allow the dyslexic worker to be able to function satisfactorily. The employer needs to be made aware of what it means to be dyslexic and what changes can be made in the work environment and in working procedures that will allow a dyslexic employee to operate at the same level as other non-dyslexic staff. Guidelines for employers are listed, and reference is made to the useful Briefing Paper 6 of the Employers' Forum on Disability. This stimulating book provides an invaluable source of well-tested techniques which will help any dyslexic adult to work more effectively, experience greater job satisfaction, and escape the negative emotions and stress which the workplace so often causes. No-one who works with adults who are dyslexic should miss the opportunity to read this book, and I would express the hope of the publication of a further book outlining these same techniques, but in the form of an adapted handbook, which would be of tremendous benefit to dyslexic adults at work. John Bradford References
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