Dyslexia: How can candidates overcome Job Hunting Obstacles?

DYSLEXIA ACTION

It's important to make sure that you apply for jobs that match your abilities. Alison Bryant, from the charity Dyslexia Action, says: "a lot of [people with dyslexia] have great strengths ... they may be more creative, they may be more entrepreneurial, they are big thinkers, they may be more visually strong, but they may not know what sort of jobs may suit their strengths."

BRIGHT NETWORK

James Uffindel, chief executive of Bright Network, says that while dyslexia is not a barrier to success, applicants should "think carefully about their suitability for the role by looking at what is involved on a day-to-day basis, and whether or not this plays to their strengths.

In particular, if a candidate has dyslexia, they should be looking to excel at any part of the selection process that requires creativity, to show that dyslexia can deliver some significant advantages in the workplace."

JOBCENTRE Plus

If finding the right sort of job is proving to be difficult, Jobcentre Plus does provide disability employment advisers, who are trained to help applicants with dyslexia find work that matches their skills.

Once you have found a role, writing applications can still be deeply frustrating, and the support may not be as comprehensive as at school or university. Alexander recommends contacting your university careers service, even if you have left. 

UNIVERSITIES
"Universities are keen for their students to find work," explains Alexander. "'Employability' is the buzzword – and there will be people at university who can advise, either in the support or careers service or academic tutors." The job centre can also do the same.

UK EQUALITY Act 2010

The next challenge is whether to declare your dyslexia in your application. People with dyslexia can define themselves as disabled in applications, which would cover them under the Equality Act 2010 as it can have a "long-term adverse effect" on a person's ability to carry out their normal day-to-day activities. 

However there is no legal obligation to declare this, and some candidates with dyslexia may be reluctant to do so, for fear it may affect their application. 

DISABILITY 

As Walker says: "The other thing that worries me is that if you tick 'yes', they will think 'well if you have a disability that is going to affect you at work, you're not going to be capable of doing the job so we're not going to hire you.'"

Declaring yourself as someone with dyslexia is not always straightforward either. According to Alexander: "Some applicants may not know if dyslexia will affect them until they start a job and feel that they don't want to suggest problems that won't happen".

However, if you do declare yourself it can be an advantage; support, such as more time for tests during the application process, can be given. 

DISCLOSURE

Alexander says: "Disclosure also shows an open and honest approach. It allows the applicant and the employer to enter into negotiation. Applicants needs to be clear about their weaknesses and what the potential employer can do to help."

Uffindel agrees: "While applicants may not need to disclose their dyslexia, recruiters can only provide support and make the necessary adjustments if candidates inform them as early as possible. 

This will help recruiters put into context any issues around any selection tests."

You do not need to shy away from discussing your dyslexia. "It helps if applicants show self-awareness and market themselves positively," Alexander says. 

"The secret is turning a potential 'weakness' into a positive by showing the steps he or she has taken to overcome difficulties." 

INTERVIEW SKILLS

In an interview someone could talk about the skills that they had gained from dyslexia support at university, and how transferable that it can be for the workplace. 

For example, "developing note taking skills in lectures will have an application in all those meetings at work."

So, there are options. You can have your worked checked, you can mention your dyslexia and you can have considerations given in the interview stage. 

It's just a shame that the first step in the application still depends upon candidates with dyslexia mostly having to still express their strengths via one of their perceived weaknesses.

Read the full article here

Closer Personal Relationships Could Help Teens Overcome Learning Disabilities

In addition to struggling in school, many learning disabled children are known to face social and emotional challenges including depression, anxiety, and isolation.

Often beginning early in childhood, they become more pronounced during adolescence, an emotionally turbulent time.

For these youngsters, more positive relationships with the significant adults in their lives -- including parents and teachers -- can improve learning and "socioemotional" experiences, says Dr. Michal Al-Yagon of Tel Aviv University's Jaime and Joan Constantiner School of Education.

In a recent study published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, she reported that teens with learning disabilities were less likely to have secure attachment relationships to their mothers and teachers compared to peers without learning disabilities.

The absence of such close and supportive relationships had an adverse effect on the teens' social and emotional functioning, contributing to behavioral problems including isolation, depression, and aggression.

"We found that more secure child-adult attachments may act as a protective factor during this developmental period, whereas insecure attachments are a risk factor" for social and emotional issues, Dr. Al-Yagon says.

These results could help researchers design more effective interventions for children and adolescents with learning disabilities. Helping to strengthen their relationships with parents and teachers may decrease their emotional and behavioural problems.

The power of attachment
Attachment theory, which describes long-term relationship dynamics, seeks to explain how parental involvement, availability, and support can shape a child's social and emotional development. Insecure attachments are damaging to a child, hindering future relationships with peers, romantic partners, and family members.

For this study, Dr. Al-Yagon measured the socioemotional state and the security of attachments to parents and teachers for 181 adolescents with learning disabilities and 188 with typical development, all between the ages of 15-17.

Participants completed a series of questionnaires regarding their attachment to their mother and father, perceived teacher availability and rejection, loneliness, experience of positive and negative emotions and behavioral problems.

Adolescents with learning disabilities were discovered to have less secure attachments with significant adult figures compared to their non-disabled peers, which had a direct impact on their socioemotional state.

Within the disabled group, those who had more secure attachments to their mother and father, or who considered their teacher caring and available, exhibited fewer negative emotions, feelings of loneliness, and behaviour problems -- all of which can interfere with learning.

Building closer relationships

These findings can help guide clinicians in developing effective treatment strategies, says Dr. Al-Yagon.

Examples include family intervention techniques that focus on creating more secure attachments between parents and children, or school workshops to help teachers understand the needs of their learning disabled students and make more of an effort to include them in classroom activities.

While social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties cannot be entirely avoided, Dr. Al-Yagon believes that a little effort, care, and attention can go a long way toward helping learning disabled children and teens feel happier and more secure.

"Parents and teachers should be aware not just of academic difficulties, but also of socioemotional difficulties -- and work to treat them. They should not avoid or ignore issues such as depression or aggression, which are another dimension of the original problem," she advises.

Dyslexia: With Determination the Disadvantages can be overcome

He had a higher-than-average IQ, but his school exam results did not reflect it. In Cheah Xian Pin's words, he was "very confused and unsure of what was going on".

What it was, was dyslexia. It made reading a slow, difficult process for Mr Cheah, but that did not stop him from devouring an average of one book a week, at one point.

Now 21, he is pursuing an accountancy degree at the Nanyang Technological University and working part-time at accountancy firm KPMG. For his determination to overcome the odds, Mr Cheah was one of two youths recognised with a Young Achiever's Award by the Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS).

Mr Cheah credited and thanked the teachers at DAS for being "there at my lowest point in life".

Shenlynn Lim, 20, also was diagnosed with dyslexia early on. She was then a shy girl with low self-esteem. "I struggled with my school work and did not score well in exams. My confidence took a huge beating whenever the class ranking was announced," she said.

Now chatty and confident, Ms Lim was awarded the Lien Foundation scholarship while doing a diploma in Child Psychology and Early Education at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. She has decided to working full time with DAS upon graduation.

"I hope that my humble achievement today will serve to inspire other dyslexic children. As long as you are willing to try and err, nothing is impossible," she said.

Overcoming Dyslexia

Inspirational business women Gabrielle Mathiesen has succeeded despite her struggles with dyslexia, but also says it gave her the drive to work harder to achieve her goals.

Gabrielle Mathiesen is the creator of Open Book, a project that seeks to provide front line aids for dyslexics and others with reading difficulties as they make contact and arrangements with businesses.
As the deaf community has a yellow sign and symbol of an ear denoting hearing problems, she has designed an open book sign to alert front line staff to literacy issues. She talks here to Hayley McCaughan.

Images of a little girl sitting in a classroom of laughing children as the teacher taunted her still move Gabrielle Mathiesen to tears.

She was that girl.

Such was the lot of a dyslexic child who struggled to survive an English education system during the 1950s and 60s.

Today she is a vibrant local businesswoman who credits her struggles with dyslexia and an unhappy childhood to spurring her to independence and success.

Gabrielle has a face that belies her age and eyes that deliver both enthusiasm and wisdom from experiences hard won. Her blonde hair is styled into a soft bob and she wears her apparel with colour and flair.

And it is with flair that she speaks; quickly. Thoughts and ideas burst forth. Arms and hands deftly punctuate her speech.

There is much to tell.

Having dyslexia still presents daily challenges, she says, but her aim is to do something about it.

And now she has formed an organisation to give today's dyslexic children and adults the help she never received.

The creator of Literally Challenged, an organisation for those with literacy issues and specific learning disorders, she has kicked off with her Open Book project to provide front-line aids for literacy-challenged people as they engage in their daily business transactions.

As the deaf community has a yellow sign and symbol of an ear denoting hearing problems, she has designed an open book sign to alert front line staff to literacy issues.
She is promoting the concept that businesses, such as banks, come up with a one-stop CD that provides visual advice and instructions on how to apply for mortgages and other transactions, for instance.

Some of the major banks have already expressed an interest in the concept.

A one-stop CD would reduce staff workloads and provide the literacy-challenged customer the information they needed before they commit to a contract, she says.

Online help to transform written material to voice is another concept she is keen to see widely available for dyslexic computer users.

Gabrielle believes such procedures could stop dyslexics going to loan sharks simply because their systems are targeted at those unable to access or understand complex bank forms.

Medialexie: Computer Tools to Overcome Reading Difficulties?

Medialexie is another computer software and hardware company that provides tools for people with reading difficulties and not only dyslexia, but a range of other conditions.

From their website, they state that;
Medialexie has acquired an incontestable reputation for quality, reactivity and competence in France and abroad. Medialexie offers an efficient solution to the problems met by people touched by dyslexia, dypraxia, dysgraphia, dysorthography or confronted with difficulties in written or oral communication.

Medialexie has conceived a computor software that functions on a PC. The software comes with an ensemble of equipment (headset, scanner, etc.) and associated services (training in its use, technical support, personalised follow-up, user community, etc.).

The company offers their product information in 3 languages; English (US), French (Canada) and German (Swiss). The many website is in French bit do not be alarmed, simply click on the US flag to change that to English.

NB: We have no connection with this company and have no reason to think that they do not do what they say. Just to let you know that we do not endorse products in any way.

However, we would very much like to hear from anyone who has used these products, to get your valuable feedback on them. Please get in touch with us if you have used their products and found them beneficial or not. Thank you!