Dyslexic Friendly Workplace

I run a call centre (along with lots of other things).
I had a lovely new girl start on Monday.  She had great phone manner, really polite and a fantastic voice.
One of my experienced staff came to see me about half an hour into her training and told me the  new girl was in tears in the bathroom.

 I asked what had happened and she told me that she wanted the script to be on the screen not on paper.  The experienced staff member told her that she had to have a paper script.  Thats when she started crying.

I called the new girl into  my office.  Got her some water and tissues.  She was sobbing.

"Tell me, what is it that is making you so upset?  I'm sure we can sort out whatever it is", I said.

"No, you cant", she said.  "I've worked in lots of call centres but I get fired from the ones that use paper scripts because I cant read off paper.  I can read ok on the screen but not off paper."

She then went on to describe how the words run together and move.
I said "Please stop worrying.  You could not have landed in a better workplace.  Are you dyslexic?"

Her head went down.  She nodded.

"I'm sure I can help."

I retyped her script in Open Dyslexic font and printed it on blue paper. As soon as she saw the new script, she said it was so much easier.   I bought a stand to angle the script at the right height and made sure there was no glare on the page.

AFter just a few days, she is now working without a script and speaking with such fantastic confidence that she is selling at a great rate.

I get sad when I think about all the places she has worked that could have easily helped with her dyslexia instead of just firing her.  It's not that hard.

OpenDyslexic font is available free of charge thank you so much to the amazing creater Abelardo Gonzalez.

http://opendyslexic.org/

Why dont you try it in your workplace on posters, induction forms etc and see if you find people might feel more comfortable.  You never know who may be dyslexic and struggling because they are often extremely good at hiding their problem with reading.

Less than Average Customer Service

Earlier today I was at my local Australia Post Office.  The man before me was called the the desk.  He had an application for a passport in his hand.
He passed it across the counter to the Customer Service Officer.
She glanced at it quickly and pushed it back to him.  "This isn't complete.  Finish it and bring it back".
"Oh," he said.  "I'm sorry I dont read that well and need a bit of help with it.  Could you please help me?"
The Customer Service Officer rolled her eyes.  "No, I'm not here to fill in forms all day.  Finish it and bring it back."
"But I dont understand question six.  Can you please read it to me?" he asked.
"Finish it and bring it back," she said again, already looking past him at me to come to be served.  I waited.
"I'm sorry and I'm not wanting to hold up the line, but I can't do it without help.  Could you please help me?" he begged looking very embarressed.  He was speaking in a very quiet voice and had his head down.
I was the only person in the line so I just quickly said "I'm fine don't worry", and smiled at the CSO.
"Sir, please move away.  I'm not here to help you.   Go finish the form and come back when its done," she said.

He looked around briefly the put his head down and hurried out to his car.  I didn't have  a chance to offer help but I felt so sorry for him.  He was obviously embarressed at not being able to read and understand the form.
 

People tend to judge others who cant read.  They do it much more openly than the would judge someone who couldn't walk, hear or talk.  It seems that discrimination against dyslexics is accepted.  This is totally sickening and needs to be changed.  The only way this will happen is by people learning more about dyslexics and dyslexic people sharing their stories.

Subscribe to my blog for stories about situations my son has been in and perhaps there are times that, by understanding a little bit more and being more mindful of people around us, that we can all make a bit of a difference.

If you can't see it, it doesn't exist

Writing that last post, I was reminded of another interesting Parent Teacher interview I had the displeasure of attending.
Lochie had been having trouble in English (as usual) and I wasn't expecting an uplifting interview.  I was further convinced it wasn't going to be positive when the teacher glared at Lochie before we even got to sit down.
"Well Lochie, I guess you can start explaining to your mother why you don't even try in Engligh", she leaned over the desk, still glaring.
Lochie looked at me and shrugged.
I looked back at the teacher who had shifted her glare to me.
"What is it exactly that Lochie doesn't try", I asked her.
"He REFUSES to read out aloud."   She sat back in her chair and folded her arms and glared even harder at Lochie.
I looked at Lochie, who looked at me and shrugged again.
"Are you aware that Lochie is dyslexic so reading is a problem for him?" I asked.
"Being obedient is a problem for him and yes I know about his apparent dyslexia" she snorted rolling her eyes. "Last week I asked him to stand up and read out aloud and he just said no.  When I told him he had to he just walked out of the class".
Loc had his head down.  I asked him to wait in line for the next teacher while I finish this one up.  I didnt want this woman to further embarress him.
I turned to her.  I believe my glare was ten times more intense than hers.
"Do you understand that Dyslexia is a disability and asking a dyslexic child to read out aloud is the equivalent of asking a person in a wheelchair to walk?  Lochie struggles to read and he does try and suffers a great deal of anxiety and depression over his problem."
 "All I know is that when Lochie has to read he comes up with all kinds of excuses.  I know about dyslexia but it seems that every kid who wants to get out of work is suddenly dyslexic", she shook her head.
"Lochie has been having tests since he was in grade one.  His file is thick and he has spent a lot of time with the welfare team talking about strategies to deal with his dyslexia.  There as a teaching plan in place.  He should never have been asked to read out aloud."  It was no use, she wouldn't listen. 

To many people, dyslexia is made up, or just an excuse.  To  a dyslexic person, it is an incredible frustration to have a high intelligence and low ability to read  at the level of other people.  Lochie is highly social and very popular.  Getting made to stand in front of a class and be made to look a fool because he couldn't read was more than he could bare so he walked out.

I sincerely wish the people would understand and learn more about this issue.  Teachers especially need to be more supportive and understanding.  I do know that it would be very difficult to have a dyslexia child in the class, that would need extra attention, different work, different methods of assessment.  But, if you think about the impact that having your self esteem totally shattered and how long that takes to rebuild; the impact that being understood can have on a persons sense of value; wouldn't it be worth it?

 

Parent Teacher Interview

Standing in the huge school hall filled with rows and rows of desks my mind flashed back to the days of high school exams.  Today, however, was not about exams.  It was about something that made me more nervous than any VCE student.  Year 7 Parent Teacher interviews.

My stomach churned as I looked around for the teachers who had "requested" interviews with me to discuss Lochie's education.  I lined up at Mr Barlow, the woodwork teacher, first.  Lochie was so good with his hands that surely this would be a positive one to start with.
I watched Mr Barlows current interview.  Mr Barlow, parent and child were all looking relaxed and smiling a lot.  Perhaps this might be an ok interview.  Mr Barlow might be really nice.
"Thank you so much for coming", smiled Mr Barlow as he shook the hand of the smiling parent and ruffled the hair of the cheerful little boy as they bounced off to see the next teacher.
He beconed for me to come and sit.  I looked around anxiously for Lochie.  He seemed to have disappeared.  Surprise, thats not unusual for Lochie.  Always distracted.
"Come, come", called the teacher again.  I sat on the hard chair, and glanced around again for Lochie. 
"So, and who's parent are you", he asked smiling.
"Lachlan Montgomery, 7S", I smiled back.  I caught a glimpse of Lochie out of the corner of my eye and started waving.  He didn't see me.
I looked back to Mr Barlow.  He was no longer smiling.
"Hmmm", he said.  "Lochie, is often somewhat distracted in class.  He is failing woodwork."
My heart sank.  Surely Lochie would be doing ok in a class like this.
"Seriously?", I asked.
"Yes.  He seems unable to follow instructions.  There is nothing wrong with the quality of work he achieves, but, he doesn't follow the process that is written out and therefore makes errors."
Oh no, it seems that even a woodwork class relys on written instructions. Don't teachers ever teach anymore?

"I see.  Did you realise that Lochie is dyslexic and the written instructions would cause a problem for him?  It is clearly noted in his file." I explained.
"I didn't know but I don't care." Mr Barlow was clear.  He had no intention of arguing the point.  To him, Lochie wasn't easy.  He was too creative, too quick and did things before he had been shown.  A problem in the class.
Result: Fail for woodwork

I was really disappointed, and surprised.  Lochie explained later how woodwork class was conducted.  Students came in and were handed a sheet of instructions.  The teacher showed the finished product and explained what tools would be required along with strict safety guidelines.  Students then had to follow the instructions and produce identical pencil boxes, model airplanes etc.  Lochie said that it was true that he rarely read the instructions and simply looked at the finished product and made it.  He said his was usually better adding in things like rounded corners, shaped feet or extra hinges.
I sighed.  How can you win that battle.  He produced a great product but didnt fit into the box the teacher needed him to.
If I were a teacher and had a student that had a talent for woodwork and was failing every other class (except physical education), I would put in efforts to engage with him and expand his talents.  If the whole education system is aimed at engaging students in school until they are 17, how can teachers not attempt to engage using a students talent just because it takes a little extra effort.

A class that should have been enjoyable and an escape from the constant pressure to read, failed to provide that environment.

Instead, it joined the long list of things that school did to destry Lochie's self esteem and happiness.