Does anyone else have employment prob... - The Dyslexia Comm...
Does anyone else have employment problems as they can only get jobs that are very basic and are bored within days?
I think it really does depend on the individual, their level of Dyslexia, how it effects them and the type of job involved. Im a support worker for adults with challenging behaviour, I had no problems getting the job and I was totally honest at the interview, however I am having a few small problems at work, mostly when it comes to writing up detailed reports about incidents, I often cant remember a lot of details and then getting the details on paper. My employers are fully understanding and helping me in every way. I think im very fortunate to have a very understanding boss.
Yes I do, I have terrible trouble. Although I have just finished a degree, I have not been in work for a long time, because I have been looking after my children, and a full-time carer for my youngest, who has now left school. Although I did do part-time evening jobs when the kids were young, but I never stayed in them very long. So as my kids have grown up I though I would go back into education -which is where I got a diagnoses of dyslexia- because I didnt want a basic boring job. But I now feel that all I can do is basic boring jobs, as I suffer with anxiety and panic attacks, I have just quit a job because I felt disgriminated, frustrated, annoyed anxious and panicy. (other reasons too which I wont talk about just yet).
I feel isolated and lost and scared of going into the working world.
I to have a good degree which I worked hard for but still find myself in poor jobs, I think making adjustments to my way of thinking and looking at jobs where there is less written work maybe the answer. I think I have spent a lot of time trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, the pressure in education and generally to be able to read and write well suggesting that these the only really useful skills and lead to better and fulfilling employment is a lot of pressure to any dyslexic who feels unable to trust their spelling and memory skills.
I think that the anxiety and panic are also typical of dyslexics bought on partly by being unable to trust our memories and by being wrong so often with our spelling in school and being criticise for it often in front of others.
Going back to work after children is scary for many women and very normal I think.
I am going to work on the things that I am actually good at and try to make a career out of those.
I wish you all the luck in the world, and I hope you get what you are looking for. I am contacting the jobcentre today to find what, if any, there is any help I can get to help me on my way to finding a suitable job. Would you know if there is any help out there for us Dyslexics? I do not have any income of any sort at the moment, so as you can imagine I am struggle to survive. My fiance works part-time, but this money only just pays the bills, and that before we even get to eat. I am so fed up with no money coming in that I feel like just giving up!
I think we should all have the right to work and earn enough to have a modest life style, dyslexic or not. I have an allotment and although it is hard work we eat well from it and always have cut flowers in the house from it. Good luck at the job centre, I am beginning to realise that good career advice may make a lot of difference to the path I have taken, I think I would have chosen something much more practical and stopped trying to live up to the, everyone must be well qualified ideal, it is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Don't give up what is round the next corner may surprise you.
I am a support worker for adults with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour, this may not be every bodies cup of tea but I absolutely love every minute of it, it is challenging every day, never boring, there are a lot of courses to do but these are generally fairly basic courses. Like I said in my last post, "I think im very fortunate to have a very understanding boss" Well I think this would apply to most bosses and staff in this field, this is why they do this job. You wont get rich unless you work your way up the ladder and then you can earn a very acceptable wage. Incidently, in a staff of about 25 we have 6 dyslexics, the boss was unaware of any of these being dyslexic( except myself) until after she employed them and without a word of a lie the 6 dyslexics are the best support workers/carers. I think living with dyslexia makes us very aware of others who are struggling with life and we often become attuned and empathetic to others with problems.
I hasten to add, Im looking for a professional dyslexia assessment but I think I would almost certainly be classed as a severe dyslexic, I completed an on-line guide and this also suggested severe dyslexia.
I would like to work with adults and children with dyslexia and do research into the affect it has on their education and lives, then look for the best way to help but have no money for training in this area. Some research is being done on the causes which is helpful but I haven't found any other in depth research or studies. I am thinking of trying to start a charity
to try and raise the funds. I have not been confirmed dyslexic either but display all the classic symptoms in barrow loads.
I have dyslexia, same as your self l have a degree, I am IMHA & IMCA mental health & a capacity advocate & I come across this issue all to often
in what ever job you do your employer has to provide equipment to support your role, l have a laptop, with programs like claro read, naturally speaking dragon, Dictaphone, scanner ect.... I am writing this answer with them. contact job centre plus to discuss access to work, they pay 1/2 your employer pays 1/2, hope this helps
Access to Work
Fact sheet
What is Access to Work?
Access to Work (AtW) is available to help overcome the problems resulting from a
disability. The Equality Act (2010) replaced the Disability Discrimination Act (2005)
in providing protection and legal rights for disabled people. It uses the following
definition of disability:
“The Act defines a disability as a physical or mental impairment which has a
substantial and long-term (i.e. has lasted or is likely to last for at least twelve months)
adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.”
It offers practical advice and help in a flexible way that can be tailored to suit the
needs of an individual in a particular job. AtW does not replace the normal
responsibilities of the employer to implement Health and Safety regulations or
replace the responsibilities required by the Disability Discrimination Act.
The following website gives further information on the scheme:
How does it do this?
As well as giving advice and information to disabled people and employers,
Jobcentre Plus pays a grant, through AtW, towards any extra employment costs that
result from a person’s disability.
Eligibility - Basic conditions
In order to receive AtW assistance, you will need to satisfy the following basic
conditions.
You must:
be disabled (and the disability is likely to last for 12 months or longer)
be resident in Great Britain, excluding Northern Ireland, with a job in Great
Britain (support can, however, be used to cover the client for overseas
visits providing the job is based in the UK)
Plus be in need of one or more of the following:
be in need of support at a job interview with an employer or/and
have a job to start, or
be in a job, whether as an employed or self-employed person2
be in need of support to progress in, or take up work, on a more equal basis
with non-disabled colleagues
Other eligibility criteria may apply and an Access to Work Adviser will be able to
advise you in more detail about the conditions that apply and whether or not you are
eligible for help.
How does the programme work?
AtW can offer a grant towards the approved costs that arise because of an
individual’s disability in the work place.
For people who are starting a job, the grant is up to 100% of the approved costs. For
people already working for an employer and who have been in the job for six weeks
or more and need special equipment or adaptations to premises, AtW pays a
proportion of the costs of support.
What type of help can be provided through Access to Work?
The AtW is under constant review by the Government and it is advisable to check
eligibility conditions and the types of provision that might be available directly with
the AtW team at Harrow (details at the bottom of this factsheet).
How are the disabled person’s particular needs assessed?
The AtW Adviser will normally speak to you and your employee to arrive at the most
effective solution. In the majority of cases, this can be done over the telephone;
however, a visit can be arranged if necessary. Sometimes specialist or technical
advice may be needed, which the AtW Adviser will help arrange.
How long will it take to put the assistance in place?
We aim to get you the help that you need in the shortest possible time. However, if it
is likely to take some time, the AtW Adviser will explore temporary alternatives with
you, for example a support worker or reader, while the permanent solution is sorted
out.
Who will purchase the help needed?
It is usually you, the employer, who arranges to purchase the agreed support and
then you claim back the grant from AtW.
NOTE: AtW will not fund retrospective claims. If you have purchased support or
equipment without an AtW assessment having taken place, the cost of these items
or support cannot be reimbursed.
How much is the Access to Work grant?
The amount of help which you may receive from Access to Work will vary depending
on how long you have been employed, and what support you need. AtW makes
grants towards work related costs. If you take on an unemployed person or have
recruited someone less than six weeks ago, the grant is up to 100% of the approved
costs approved by the AtW Adviser. It is worth noting that that AtW does not fund
assessments of need (diagnosis assessments), and will not make retrospective
payments for solutions already put in place.
There are some elements of the AtW scheme that, whatever the employment status 3
of the applicant, will pay up to 100% of the approved costs. These are of help
with:
support workers and fares to work; and
Communicator support at interview.
For people working for an employer, and who have been in the job for six weeks or
more and need special equipment or adaptations to premises, AtW pays a
proportion of the costs of support, as follows:
The precise level of cost sharing is determined as follows:
• employers with 1 to 9 employees will not be expected to share costs
• employers with 10 to 49 employees will pay the first £300 and 20 per cent of
costs up to £10,000
• employers with 50 to 249 employees will pay the first £500 and 20 per cent of
costs up to £10,000
• large employers with 250 or more employees will pay the first £1,000 and 20
per cent of costs up to £10,000
After between one and three years, Access to Work will review your circumstances
and the support you're receiving. AtW may provide help for a further period if your
employee continues to be eligible for help under the rules that then apply.
AtW is available when additional costs are incurred because of a disability. It cannot
be used to provide support usually provided by the Employer, such as in the
provision of fundamental office equipment necessary for any employee to undertake
the job.
AtW solutions are individually tailored to meet the disability needs of the disabled
employee in the workplace. The Disability Act 1995 puts a duty on employers to take
any steps that are reasonable to reduce or remove any substantial disadvantage that
a physical feature of their premises or their employment arrangements causes a
disabled employee or job applicant compared with a non-disabled person. This is
known as ‘reasonable adjustment’.
The fact that Jobcentre Plus is providing help for a disabled employee through
Access to Work does not mean that you have satisfied this duty.
How to apply for the AtW grant
The employee is required to complete an AtW application form. The employee will
need to provide current medical evidence (such as a consultants report, audiogram,
or Educational Psychologists report), and in addition to DOB, and NI number they
will be asked to outline the reasons why support is required, and what the possible
solutions might be.
Contact Details for the AtW team covering the South East - (which includes,
Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire) – to request an application form contact:
Access to Work First Contact and Enquiries
Harrow Jobcentre, Nine Elms Lane, London, SW95 9BH
Tel: 0208 426 31104
Text: 0208 426 3133
Fax: 0208 426 3134
Email: ATWOSU.london@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk
Disability Advisory Service
E-mail: disabililty@admin.ox.ac.uk
Website: ox.ac.uk/students/shw/d