Inclusive workplaces remove unnecessary barriers.
Create recruitment processes, communication methods and working environments that enable people with dyslexia to contribute their skills, knowledge and expertise.
Hire for capability, skills and potential.
Inclusive recruitment focuses on the genuine requirements of the position and considers whether the process itself creates unnecessary barriers. Candidates should have an equitable opportunity to demonstrate the abilities relevant to the role.
Accessible Job Descriptions
Use clear, accessible and easy-to-understand language. Present responsibilities and essential requirements in a structured format that is easy to navigate.
Communicate clearlyEssential Requirements Only
Avoid unnecessary literacy-based requirements where reading or writing at that level is not genuinely essential to performing the role.
Remove irrelevant barriersReasonable Flexibility
Where appropriate, consider reasonable flexibility in the application or recruitment process so that unnecessary format barriers do not disadvantage a candidate.
Focus on the purposeAccessible Interview Information
Provide interview questions or relevant information in an accessible format when requested and where appropriate to the recruitment process.
Support clear communicationFair Selection Processes
Check that recruitment tests and selection activities do not unintentionally disadvantage neurodivergent candidates where the assessed literacy skill is not essential to the job.
Assess relevant capabilityTrain Recruitment Teams
Help HR and recruitment teams understand dyslexia, neurodiversity and the importance of making decisions based on evidence rather than assumptions.
Build informed practiceInclusive recruitment does not lower standards.
It removes unnecessary barriers so candidates can be assessed on the skills, knowledge, experience and capabilities genuinely required for the position.
Adjust the barrier, not the person’s potential.
People with dyslexia may benefit from reasonable workplace adjustments that enable them to perform their roles effectively. The most suitable approach depends on the individual and the requirements of the position. Begin with the specific barrier and the essential purpose of the task.
Assistive Technology
Consider suitable tools such as text-to-speech and speech-to-text where they support the employee’s role and individual working needs.
Accessible Digital Information
Provide digital documents and information in accessible formats that can be navigated, enlarged or used with appropriate reading technology.
Additional Time
Allow additional time for certain written tasks where appropriate and compatible with the requirements of the role.
Alternative Information Formats
Consider alternative ways for the employee to receive or present information while maintaining the purpose and essential outcome of the task.
Clear, Structured Instructions
Present written instructions and other important information clearly, logically and in manageable, easy-to-follow stages.
Reduce Unnecessary Writing
Reduce reliance on unnecessary handwritten or lengthy written tasks where they are not essential to the employee’s position.
A Suitable Work Environment
Where practical, provide a working environment that minimises avoidable distractions and supports sustained concentration.
Flexible Working Approaches
Consider flexible approaches to communication and task management that support the individual while maintaining the essential requirements of the position.
The most effective adjustments are individualised.
Dyslexia does not affect everyone in the same way. Workplace support should therefore be based on the person’s specific needs, strengths and job requirements.
Different ways of thinking can strengthen a workplace.
Neurodivergent employees may bring valuable strengths and perspectives to their work. Every person is different, but recognising a wider range of thinking and working styles can help organisations build more inclusive and effective teams.
Creative and Innovative Thinking
Some neurodivergent employees may approach ideas, information and challenges in original ways, helping teams explore new possibilities.
Problem-Solving
Alternative perspectives can help teams examine a challenge from another angle and identify solutions that may otherwise be overlooked.
Visual and Conceptual Thinking
Some people may understand relationships, systems and ideas particularly well when information is presented visually or as part of a broader concept.
Patterns and the Bigger Picture
Pattern recognition and big-picture thinking may help employees notice connections, trends and relationships across different areas of work.
Persistence and Resilience
Experiences of finding different ways through barriers may contribute to persistence, adaptability and a willingness to keep working towards a solution.
Different Approaches
Approaching tasks and challenges differently can expand the range of ideas available to a team and encourage more flexible ways of working.
Inclusion benefits the whole organisation.
A neuroinclusive workplace can support employee engagement, strengthen inclusion, broaden access to talent and help create a culture in which people have the opportunity to perform at their best.
Build a more neuroinclusive workplace.
Awareness and practical guidance can help employers and HR teams remove unnecessary barriers in recruitment and the workplace.
RADA invites employers and human-resources professionals to explore the corporate training and support services offered by Neurodivergent Inclusion & Solutions Support, also known as NISS.
Practical awareness and support can help organisations create working environments in which neurodivergent employees have a fair opportunity to contribute and demonstrate what they can do.
An inclusive workplace removes unnecessary barriers.
An inclusive workplace does not change what people are capable of achieving—it removes unnecessary barriers so that people can demonstrate what they can do.