Don't miss out on the intelligence that resides in the unique minds of those with learning disabilities
For too long, learning disabilities have been considered a weakness. So it may come as a surprise that, according to the Learning Disabilities Association of British Columbia, 10 per cent of Canadians in the workplace have some form of learning disability. It may also come as a surprise that some of the world’s greatest revolutionaries and thinkers have been diagnosed with — or exhibited symptoms of — some form of learning disability: Winston Churchill, Charles Schwab, Andy Warhol and even Bill Gates. That’s why organizations should think of a learning disability such as dyslexia or Asperger’s syndrome as an opportunity.
Individuals who recognize a learning disability and embrace it are capable of achieving incredible professional successes. I know this because six years ago I was diagnosed with an acute cognitive brain condition that causes a severe form of dyslexia. It makes it difficult for me to process sound and vision translation in my brain and puts me just short of Asperger’s, a learning disability similar to autism. Instead of seeing my disability as a limitation, I’ve embraced my condition. This has allowed me to channel my disability into entrepreneurial success. It hasn’t been easy, and some days it’s still a challenge, but the acceptance of my condition by peers and colleagues, and the recognition this condition is more of a gift than a hindrance, can give hope to many people in the workforce and the people who hire them.
Learning disabilities make easy tasks incredibly complicated. For someone with dyslexia, simply reading a newspaper can be an exercise in futility. Words are blurred and distorted and complex sentences are impossible to decipher. The brain often misspells visually similar words, making sentences and paragraphs difficult to follow and making reading tedious, time consuming and confusing. It’s also common for someone with dyslexia to have difficulty speaking and expressing ideas. Another challenge includes staying organized and on top of schedules, assignments and meetings. Because of these symptoms, people with dyslexia are often shunned and stigmatized as slow and inadequate learners, incapable of handling pressure on the job.
The same stereotyping is often applied to those who have Asperger’s, a disorder in the autistic spectrum. A person with Asperger’s generally scores very high on IQ tests, but has difficulty handling social context and will often launch into lengthy monologues about highly technical topics. Many view Asperger’s as a debilitating condition. But be careful — you could be dismissing the mind of a genius.
According to Louise Brazeau-Ward, author of Dyslexia and the Workplace, more than 50 per cent of NASA employees have dyslexia, and they are deliberately sought out for their superb problem-solving abilities. With the support of family, peers and employers, those who embrace the condition will find their unique brain wiring makes them creatively enabled, not learning disabled.
One of the most important things a company can do to allow these minds to flourish is to create a workplace that fosters an open and accepting learning environment. Pigeonholing those with learning disabilities will only make matters worse. Instead, establish an open and accepting policy on learning, where all types of learners are accepted and new forms of learning are frequently introduced.
There are a number of ways to accommodate those with learning disabilities. If your organization offers classroom learning, it should incorporate visual and aural components. The use of voice modulation and gesturing to emphasize significant points will help learners retain the information they’re being given. Role-playing can also be effective.
One engaging way to teach people with learning disabilities is through the use of e-learning programs, which can offer the worker an opportunity to better absorb information. By presenting information using short bullet points, visual examples and other methods easy for someone with a learning disability to digest, an organization can create an environment that’s conducive to learning. Rich media content, such as audio, video and interactive games, is often incorporated into e-learning.
There are other accommodations to specifically benefit those with dyslexia and Asperger’s. Be sure to allow a short health break for employees who become stuck in long brainstorming sessions. Other details, like underlining important prepositions, such as before or after, will make a world of difference to an employee with dyslexia who has to review documents. Using coloured paper also helps. Other helpful tools include word prediction programs, speech synthesizers (text-to-speech systems) and speech recognition systems.
The organization should also try to explore avenues for discussion and the acceptance of learning disabilities in the form of online company forums. As a dyslexic myself, I cannot tell you how liberating it is to feel that not only do I understand and have control over my condition, but that other people also understand and accept my limitations. So many brilliant minds never surface because they aren’t supported. It would be a shame for an organization to miss out on the intelligence that resides in the unique minds of those who have learning disabilities.
Dave Chalk is the founder of Chalk, an e-learning company focused on creating a positive learning experience. For more information, visit www.chalk.com.
Individuals who recognize a learning disability and embrace it are capable of achieving incredible professional successes. I know this because six years ago I was diagnosed with an acute cognitive brain condition that causes a severe form of dyslexia. It makes it difficult for me to process sound and vision translation in my brain and puts me just short of Asperger’s, a learning disability similar to autism. Instead of seeing my disability as a limitation, I’ve embraced my condition. This has allowed me to channel my disability into entrepreneurial success. It hasn’t been easy, and some days it’s still a challenge, but the acceptance of my condition by peers and colleagues, and the recognition this condition is more of a gift than a hindrance, can give hope to many people in the workforce and the people who hire them.
Learning disabilities make easy tasks incredibly complicated. For someone with dyslexia, simply reading a newspaper can be an exercise in futility. Words are blurred and distorted and complex sentences are impossible to decipher. The brain often misspells visually similar words, making sentences and paragraphs difficult to follow and making reading tedious, time consuming and confusing. It’s also common for someone with dyslexia to have difficulty speaking and expressing ideas. Another challenge includes staying organized and on top of schedules, assignments and meetings. Because of these symptoms, people with dyslexia are often shunned and stigmatized as slow and inadequate learners, incapable of handling pressure on the job.
The same stereotyping is often applied to those who have Asperger’s, a disorder in the autistic spectrum. A person with Asperger’s generally scores very high on IQ tests, but has difficulty handling social context and will often launch into lengthy monologues about highly technical topics. Many view Asperger’s as a debilitating condition. But be careful — you could be dismissing the mind of a genius.
According to Louise Brazeau-Ward, author of Dyslexia and the Workplace, more than 50 per cent of NASA employees have dyslexia, and they are deliberately sought out for their superb problem-solving abilities. With the support of family, peers and employers, those who embrace the condition will find their unique brain wiring makes them creatively enabled, not learning disabled.
One of the most important things a company can do to allow these minds to flourish is to create a workplace that fosters an open and accepting learning environment. Pigeonholing those with learning disabilities will only make matters worse. Instead, establish an open and accepting policy on learning, where all types of learners are accepted and new forms of learning are frequently introduced.
There are a number of ways to accommodate those with learning disabilities. If your organization offers classroom learning, it should incorporate visual and aural components. The use of voice modulation and gesturing to emphasize significant points will help learners retain the information they’re being given. Role-playing can also be effective.
One engaging way to teach people with learning disabilities is through the use of e-learning programs, which can offer the worker an opportunity to better absorb information. By presenting information using short bullet points, visual examples and other methods easy for someone with a learning disability to digest, an organization can create an environment that’s conducive to learning. Rich media content, such as audio, video and interactive games, is often incorporated into e-learning.
There are other accommodations to specifically benefit those with dyslexia and Asperger’s. Be sure to allow a short health break for employees who become stuck in long brainstorming sessions. Other details, like underlining important prepositions, such as before or after, will make a world of difference to an employee with dyslexia who has to review documents. Using coloured paper also helps. Other helpful tools include word prediction programs, speech synthesizers (text-to-speech systems) and speech recognition systems.
The organization should also try to explore avenues for discussion and the acceptance of learning disabilities in the form of online company forums. As a dyslexic myself, I cannot tell you how liberating it is to feel that not only do I understand and have control over my condition, but that other people also understand and accept my limitations. So many brilliant minds never surface because they aren’t supported. It would be a shame for an organization to miss out on the intelligence that resides in the unique minds of those who have learning disabilities.
Dave Chalk is the founder of Chalk, an e-learning company focused on creating a positive learning experience. For more information, visit www.chalk.com.
