Hi,

We have started to consider changes or improvements that we can make to our procedures, training materials and systems generally, that would make them more accessible to people who have learning difficulties such as dyslexia.  It is reckoned by some that up to 1 in 10 people may have some form of dyslexia, and are unlikely to declare it, due to stigma associated with it.

It should be stressed that dyslexics are not uneducated, and are quite capable of very complex tasks, given information in the correct format.  Having worked closely with a colleague who is dyslexic, I have more of an understanding of what it is about - for example, he has trouble with written or typed documents, but easily interprets videos when working on complex systems; he also has a short term memory that can cope with up to 18 items, as opposed to mine which struggles with 5.

We are considering aspects such as fonts, line spacing, background colours, using recorded media/videos instead of written words, using smart phones for instructions and so on.

I would be really interested to learn of any systems or things you implement which might make an improvement to how people understand procedures and potentially training materials.

Kind regards,

Andrew

Many thanks for taking the time to reply - One of my sidekicks has the job of looking through some of the advice on the websites, so that should be covered (by our next meeting)

I took on the action of seeing if there are any tactics being employed by organisations, as it obviously has potential safety implications...

Hi Andrew,

I'm a SHE Manager and I'm dyslexic. It's a different issue for me, more of a problem when writing documents and putting words and letters back to front and real difficulties with spelling (spell check doesnt always help). I get other's to proof read documents for me or I have to read the same thing about 5 times to spot my mistakes. My brain will read the right word even if its wrong.

What I do when creating SSOW's is put in as many pictures as possible with minimal wording. Dyslexicia can effect people in so many ways, but I find most people can understand pictures / signage.

Many thanks for your replies!

mike52, I have heard that a coloured background can make a difference, from another one of my dyslexic colleagues - certainly worth trying. Thanks for this.

MrBrightside, We don't always include pictures in our work packs, but that is just the sort of thing we can try as it should help everyone.  Thanks for this.

Pembo55, We should all wear rose-tinted spectacles (it may make the world look nicer...?!).  My colleague said not everyone with dyslexia has the same problems and so this may be due to learning styles. Thanks, worth considering further. Toolbox talks for all jobs may be an idea?

I have made an extensive in depth study of dyslexia and the problems it causes – it has lasted 56 years so far! (Which may explain some of the typos in my posts) The last 23 years has had a second test subject – my son.

As some others have said the problem is that as dyslexics we are all different. The colour “filters” is actually something called irlen syndrome see link below. Now some dyslexic people suffer from this (my son does and was proscribed glasses when younger with coloured filters – sometime they find different filters in each eye works better) but not all – They don’t help me for example.

https://irlen.com/what-is-irlen-syndrome/

Likewise I much prefer black ink on white paper – but I have a friend who did some training where he was told that black text on yellow paper works best. No matter how often I tell him I cannot read it – because he was told on a training course that this is right he will not try a different approach.

I have yet to find a 1 size fits all – for me its just about my employer being aware of my problem and realising that word check will not get it right for me 100% of the time.

'Growing up in the 1960's'... you say you are 41...  its 2019. Which makes your date of birth circa 1978...

Originally Posted by: Mark-W

In the dim and distant past when I was instucting in the Army, we went through this process, our courses were a fast paced 2 week course with 64 students and then they were back to back. So no room for students to come back or have extra tuition.

In the end we had an outside study done and IIRC black text on beige paper was best and yellow text on a dark blue background for powerpoint was best.

But I'm sure there have been other studys since then to debunk the previous findings.

Mark, your post bought back memories of struggling with Army PPs- Yellow on Blue is horrible. I always wondered why they did this.

Dyslexia comes in many forms, clearly I am not the right variety for the Army.

Andrew- I try to follow VARK theory in toolbox talks and keep groups small, I know this will not be possible for some workplaces but it does help if you can see how people are reacting. One of the drawbacks with the move towards more on line training is thta for some learners ut does not tick the Kinetic/interactive box. 

nic68 - One thing we are struggling with is the different aspects of dyslexia - At some point in the future we may find these differences become different conditions, with their own individual ways to manage them to peoples advantage.

I have always preferred smaller groups, as people always feel more comfortable to speak up.  Small groups like 1!

Thanks for posting

P.S. Was that Bin lorry document any good...?