Is dyslexia a disability

[Anon9898]

Have a meeting with manager tomorrow about other things but wanted to ask about dyslexia and how it's a learning difficulty not a disability.

All the websites I have looked at day it is considered as a learning disability. I don't think it is. I'm not disabled because of it I just have difficulty doing some things. That doesn't disable me.

I know people will have severe dyslexia and I'm not saying for them it isn't disabling but for me it isn't.

Am I being unreasonable to argue about it at the meeting tomorrow?

Ah I see. I suspect it's outdated terminology.

Dyslexia is a specific learning difference. Some people with dyslexia will identify as having a disability and others won't. It depends on how it impacts their lives and the severity.

Can't see any harm in having that conversation with your employer although your EDI lead might be a better starting point (if you have one), just to point out that there is some outdated terminology floating around.

It is a learning difficulty, not a learning disability, but that does mean it doesn't come under the Equality Act as a disability (severity dependent)

Does the policy actually result in the company taking any action helpful or otherwise?

I would guess the policy is written that way so managers are aware they have a responsibility to make reasonable adjustments.

For some, possibly most, people this will be no adjustments at all. But managers and employees need to know what the company will do to comply with the law.

She won’t have the foggiest

and will be rather peeved at you using a catch up meeting to navel gaze about this, especially if as you say…. it’s a complete non issue for you

why is that a bad thing?

it means they will need to put in reasonable adjustments

ultimately whether dyslexia is a disability in law will depend if it meets the criteria under the Equality Act

so a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.

dyslexia is an impairment and it is long term but only you will know the impact of it.

I'm a learning disability nurse, and no dyslexia is not considered a learning disability. It's a learning difficulty.

It's listed as a specific learning disability on most forms. It's covered by the equalities act. I don't see why you would want to bring it up

@MagentaRocks That may be so, but it's still wrong. Lots of medical/disability type organisations say anyone with that condition "is" disabled, but that is not how the law works. The only conditions which are automatically disabled are HIV, MS and cancer. A terminal illness and losing your sight (however slowly) are also in. In theory everything else depends on the facts, so even something like Downs or paraplegia is not automatically a disability, although it obviously would always meet the criteria. Dyslexia will vary - mild sufferers will not always meet the legal threshold. The legal sources I mentioned in my pp will be more reliable that what the Dyslexia Association says.

That’s not quite what we are saying though. We are talking about company policy. Company policy is generally a broad approach and follows the equality act, not individuals. When you write a company policy you refer to the equality act (or other relevant act) for the matter in question, and then this can be adapted to an individual approach if required.

This is a complex question because dyslexia comes under developmental impairment rather than disability, unless you are in a situation where you you are put at a disadvantage to your colleagues, then there is a disability discrimination issue.

If you go to a tribunal for example then the court takes it on an individual basis of the types of issues you experience with dyslexia rather than treat it as a straight forward case of disability discrimination. It isn't an automatically accepted disability under the Equality Act. The question being whether the individual employee's experience of dyslexia has and adverse affect on their day to day activities.

Is this meeting partly to discuss whether any needs you have are being met as you live with dyslexia?

I'm dyslexic, I don't like being described as being developmentally impaired, as having a learning difficulty, or disability. However these are the current terms people use to describe us.

I looked it up a while ago as I had cause to take a company to tribunal over it but decided not to in the end.

A disability puts you at a disadvantage. You said you have memory issues. I don't. That puts you at a recognised disadvantage to me.

It also means you are more protected in the workplace. Your employer MUST consider reasonable adjustments.

It's fine if you don't see yourself as disabled but dyslexia is a disability.

why is that a bad thing?

@ThatsNotMyTeen I'm guessing it's because some people with dyslexia don't feel they are disabled and don't like being classified as being disabled (even if in reality that makes no difference to their lives).

And really, you could say the same for a myriad of conditions like autism, arthritis, menopause, whatever. Are they disabilities? Whether or not anything is a disability really depends on the individual experiencing it.

No it isn't. This is an American post. Whether it is covered by the Equality Act (not equalities) depends on whether it meets the definition of disability, and this will vary on how it affects the individual.

Yes all the conditions you reference meet the criteria for a disability.

a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.

It mightn't be a disability to you but might it might well be for others who might need help.

Don't presume to speak for others based on your own experiences.

It’s known as a disability as that way there is a legal requirement to make reasonable adjustments and accommodations to ensure you have equal access to learning and other opportunities within your workplace.
no need to be offended by the word disability.

This is an odd thread

I know they all meet the criteria, but it doesn't mean that all the people experiencing these conditions are/ will want to be classified as disabled.

For example the fact you someone is going through menopause doesn't always mean there is a 'substantial, long term, negative effect on ability to do normal daily activities'.

It's dependent on the individual whether they actually identify as having a disability, even if the condition they have meets the criteria, some people may not want to be categorised as disabled.

I think this is what OP is getting at.

To be classed as having a learning disability the service user has to have an IQ lower than 70.
This is specifically for learning disabilities though, not disabilty in general.

Maybe I've misunderstood your post but please be wary about causing the management to feel other dyslexic people never need reasonable adjustments, even though you don't.

The social model of disability locates the problem within the structures of society and organisations rather than the individual. So the amount a person is "disabled" is due to the amount of barriers they face in being included. Thinking about it this way might help?

The whole language around neurodiversity is problematic - calling them disability gives them more weight and may better reflect the potential impact on people. But at the same time, it does not really reflect the reality of most peoples lives and can seem quite offensive to some.

Sounds like you have negative feelings towards the word disability.

Dyslexia is a disability because it impacts on or limits the ability to do certain tasks.

It can be very mild through to severe.

But whether it is a disability under the Equality Act and presumably informs her employers approach and their obligations depends on whether it satisfies that definition in my previous post.

So you lack an ability to retain information?

That is a disability.

You are aware that difficulty and disability mean the same right? if you have a difficulty doing basic functions due to a medical issue that is your ability being negatively effected ergo a disability.

Just curious as to why you want to raise it if it isn't causing you any difficulty?

It impacts people in various ways. Where I work (not UK), it falls under the Neurodiversity policy which states that reasonable adjustments are available if required, for example, text to speech software, colour screens etc.

The policies exist to support people.