To ask dyslexic team member to put a note on her email signature???

As others have said, use AI or apps to check spelling, grammar and punctuation. As a dyslexic I also suggest having templates for emails that you tend to use a lot and using the “read aloud “ function to check before sending. Wholesale use of, for instance, ChatGPT, probably results in many an email exchange that neither party actually reads properly so I’m not a fan. However, using tools to help communication without diluting your own “voice” is great for dyslexia. I don’t think I’d recommend a signature note as it might be picked up by a disgruntled customer to use as a general comment about competency. Maybe run a short training session for everyone o email technique?

I just wanted to say how amazing it is you want to support your colleague and also how amazing there is so much support in technology for people with dyslexia, when I was young I had none.

I was lucky that I had a few good work colleagues and managers who were understanding and supportive and would help me. I left school with no GCSE’s barely being able to read and write thinking I was just stupid. Luckily I was identified by several employers as not being stupid and started to be given duties and training to boost my skills.

For me it was having someone to go over work I needed checking, just look at my spellings and grammar, make sure what I did made sense. Over time I needed less and less help. I remember one manager getting frustrated and slapping down a bunch of info on grammar on my desk, I reminded him that in my x years ( I think I was 32ish) if I’d not got it yet with my dyslexia then I wasn’t sure this would help, he was rightly embarrassed as he’d forgotten in that moment and apologised.

Even when I was able to do my job without someone checking it, I still asked as deep down knowing someone would be there is all I needed to get it right. If I didn’t have someone to check my work I’d panic I’d make a mistake which I’d inevitably would.

As someone without dyslexia and not in OP's position, I find
your florrid and tenuous stoma comparison does your argument no favours.

Get her to use chatgpt to check

Well, there we go. Mistakes on internet forums 🤷🏻‍♀️

Do try not to worry about that.

Yes and they read like crap. The waffle is off the scale.

“You called OP hypocritical”
Nope, not me!

My husband has this problem. He’s not diagnosed dyslexic but his spelling and grammar are awful. He’s highly successful in tech regardless but he just cannot see his mistakes because he doesn’t have the foundational knowledge. Whereas for me the mistakes leap off the page.

He often asks me to proofread things for him because, even after running them through AI, the software doesn’t pick up everything and he is none the wiser. He uses AI when coding and it only works well because he has the deep knowledge to know when AI is getting things wrong, but he can’t do the same with grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Grammarly does pick up on things like comma placement doesn't it? That said, it's probs much more useful if you're able to use it as a reminder of the correct grammar rather than completely relying on it. Usually, I know which is the correct phrasing when I see it.

You called OP hypocritical. She would only be hypocritical if her business emails were also consistently riddled with mistakes. Her problem pertains to business emails. Everyone makes mistakes typing on forums. They make mistakes in formal communication too, but clearly any occasional mistake the OP makes in her business emails do not compare to her dyslexic employee.

On your posts where you make errors, are they specifically about other people’s inability to spell, use grammar correctly or proofread? If not, it doesn’t matter as much.

Well it’s fun to point out, but I don’t think it relates to OP’s real-world problem. I make spelling and grammar mistakes all the time on forums or over text. Business emails are different.

But if your post is about poor spelling and grammar, you might want to make sure your own can’t be criticised.

I would guess that a forum post after 10 at night (probably quickly bashed out on a phone keypad) isn’t as big a deal as someone with consistently terrible spelling and grammar errors in business emails.

Yes she doesn’t have to announce her disability. I think we’ve established that’s her choice. The OP also isn’t going to ask her to do so as she said in her OP. But she is going to start a conversation about what can help her and raising it as one of various suggestions is perfectly reasonable. My experience of poor spelling and grammar from deafness is that people are very understanding and accommodating when they know the reason why- without a reason they default to “must be thick”.

I’m more interested as others have raised about the employee being freelance. OP clearly thinks she’s great and wants to keep her on but the current set up isn’t working and will be damaging to business if they don’t find a solution. I don’t understand why OP doesn’t just end the contract but there we go.

This is the kind of thing AI is actually good at. I’m ASD and my emails can seem very stilted to people. I tell our work AI what tone I want for this particular circumstance, give it my draft, and then it gives me suggested revisions. I don’t always take them, but it is incredibly useful. My communication has become much more effective.

Your own posts have typos and grammatical errors. To expect her to disclose her disability to all and sundry for a 'lack of attention to detail' when you haven't noticed and corrected your own posts seems incredibly hypocritical.

Was the erroneous apostrophe in “let’s them off the hook” deliberate? 😅

“aren’t picking up like apostrophes where they’re not needed”, oh the irony.

I'm sure it won't shock you to realise that announcing your disability doesn't immediately make people think you aren't stupid or bad at your job. It just makes them think you're stupid, bad at your job AND disabled. It adds a whole other layer of othering.

And again, with the sunflower lanyard example you've given, you can't be asked to wear a sunflower lanyard to out yourself as disabled, it is a personal choice. Except sunflower lanyards don't tell the observers exactly what the disability is so you're often treated like you lack capacity and understanding anyway. They can do more harm than good in a lot of environments. That's exactly why it should be up to whoever decides they want to wear one.

Yes, I was going to suggest this.

She just needs to drop her email into ChatGPT and ask it to correct any spelling errors and ensure it makes sense. Then quickly read it, then copy / paste it back into her email to send.

Firstly, you can’t ask employees to disclose their private health info in an email signature.

Anyone who does it, does that cause they want to - not because it’s easier for the business or the business has asked them to

Secondly she’s freelance/self employed but you’re treating her like an employee? If she can’t deliver then just end the contract, you don’t have to make do with someone doing a poor job because of any reason in that set up.

My business partner is dyslexic. Honestly important emails you just have to check them. His dyslexia is so wild I don’t know how he gets past the checkers - but he does with amazing efficiency. Its actually quite a talent.

For everyday emails then inbuild / add on email AI is great now. Grammarly, Googles Workspace AI, Word AI, what platform are you using?

Chat GPT also great but you have to unamericanise, remove the em dashes, and my partner cant help but tweak it. It’s always in the bloody edit he adds that there is a clanger.

We wouldnt add a disclaimer - it’s just saying we don’t think details are important if we have excuses.

You’re making up the OP’s conversation before she’s even had it and arguing with yourself 😅

”not verbatim” indeed.

"Can you tell people you're dyslexic in your email signature because we're worried how clients perceive your emails and its making a lot of work for me?"- not verbatim, Is applying pressure to someone to disclose something private about themselves by emphasising a burden and using shame tactics.

Yes, the OP should explore options, such as the assistive technology available, access to work and even occupational health referrals if necessary.

If others within the business have been asked to do so, they shouldn't have been. If they've done so willingly of their own volition because they personally see a benefit, fine. But the OP can't say well Gerald and Christine have declared that they're dyslexic on their emails so I think you should too. That would be laying a red carpet into the courtroom should disability related discrimination happen following these events.