Dyslexia Awareness by Helen Cooke CBE

Today marks the start of Dyslexia Awareness Week 2016.

Dyslexia affects 1 in 10 people in the UK and it is considered to be the most common hidden disability.

Dyslexia is a learning disability that affects progress when learning to read and write. The most persistent difficulty is often spelling.

Adults with dyslexia may experience:

• difficulty with literacy tasks
• slower cognitive processing
• a weaker short-term memory
• difficulty expressing a point of view
• difficulty keeping track of conversations

This year Dyslexia Awareness Week is focussing on issues surrounding “identifying dyslexia”, including how to spot dyslexia, how it impacts individuals and the support available.

MyPlus and Dyslexia

Whether studying or pursuing your graduate career, dyslexia can pose a host of challenges. However, universities and employers are increasingly aware of the affects of dyslexia and they are also more willing to offer support and make adjustments to ensure you are working on a level playing field.

One such employer is Enterprise Mobility, where Debs Bristow has been succeeding in managing her dyslexia in her role as Human Resources Manager.

For Debs, openness was key:

“I have not always been open about my dyslexia and when I applied to Enterprise Mobility I did not declare it on my application as I thought it would hold me back. I could not have been more wrong. I have received nothing but support and encouragement. I am no longer embarrassed about my disability and I am open about my abilities and feel comfortable always state any requirements to be able to accomplish a task.”

For more information about dyslexia and how you can get involved in Dyslexia Awareness Week, head over to the Dyslexia Action website.

Find out more about this week’s featured employer Enterprise Mobility here.