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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Is dyslexia a disability

88 replies

Anon9898 · 17/10/2024 16:54

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?

OP posts:
WiddlinDiddlin · 18/10/2024 03:33

How hard is this for you?

It is their default position, and rightly so, to include dyslexia as a disability.

That means they're equipped to handle an employees needs should they be disabled by dyslexia.

If they have an employee who is dyslexic but does not have an extra needs, does not consider themselves disabled by it... then nothing need happen, no one does anything, all is fine.

If it were the other way round, can you not follow that some people would struggle, their needs would not be met and they may be prevented from doing their job properly?

Sammyspurs · 18/10/2024 06:18

LewishamMumNow · 17/10/2024 20:32

@Sammyspurs Yes it is. 70 IQ is the cut off for learning disability (ie intellectual impairment). Incidentally you can't be diagnosed with dyslexia if you have a learning disability.

My son is severely dyslexic and has associated learning disabilities along with verbal dyspraxia however is very bright.
he attends a private school for dyslexic children with associated disabilities and a lot of them are very clever also. As in above 70 IQ.

Auburngal · 18/10/2024 06:59

Im a dyslexic. Everyone has different things which they find difficult. Each dyslexic person is different.

Its a learning disability.

My dyslexia affects thinking before speaking. My dyslexia is more towards the motor side of the body. It’s usually referred as dyspraxia. So unable to ride a bike or swim.

My previous manager took advantage of my dyslexia and made me upset, cause MH issues. Raised grievances about him and it didn’t go beyond the meeting with a store manager from a store 20 miles away. It shows that my previous employer think managers chumminess with each other is more important than employees’ MH.

I got fed up of crying and this is why I left my job earlier this month

Auburngal · 18/10/2024 07:02

I’m clever. Last time I had IQ measured it was 130-something.

This does not reflect my grades at GCSE. Exams are my weakest point, even with 25% extra time

LewishamMumNow · 18/10/2024 07:57

Sammyspurs · 18/10/2024 06:18

My son is severely dyslexic and has associated learning disabilities along with verbal dyspraxia however is very bright.
he attends a private school for dyslexic children with associated disabilities and a lot of them are very clever also. As in above 70 IQ.

This does not make much sense. You need to understand the difference between learning difficulty (which may still be a disability) and learning disability - avoid US usage which is different.

Also having an IQ of over 70 does not make you "very clever". Whether you are dyslexic or not does not affect this - not least because dyslexia does not affect intelligence and is therefore not a learning disability.

I think you may have been spending time on US internet sites. Read my previous posts.

LewishamMumNow · 18/10/2024 08:09

@Auburngal
I'm sorry about your experiences.
Just to be clear though:

  • dyslexia and dyspraxia are not the same thing, and dyspraxia is not a subset of dyslexia, as you seem to imply. They are related and often people have both, but are different.
  • Dyslexia is not a learning disability. It is a learning difficulty which can also be a disability, and it certainly seems that way in your case. Learning disability in the UK (not US) is strictly about low IQ only, although of course, people often have other conditions too.
Sammyspurs · 18/10/2024 08:52

LewishamMumNow · 18/10/2024 07:57

This does not make much sense. You need to understand the difference between learning difficulty (which may still be a disability) and learning disability - avoid US usage which is different.

Also having an IQ of over 70 does not make you "very clever". Whether you are dyslexic or not does not affect this - not least because dyslexia does not affect intelligence and is therefore not a learning disability.

I think you may have been spending time on US internet sites. Read my previous posts.

Would you like to read hs many reports and EHCP? His diagnosis from the Nuffield hospital is severe dyspraxia with associated leaning disabilities- his Ed psych report is severe dyslexia-

Dramatic · 18/10/2024 08:58

I'm technically disabled but I don't consider myself to be at all. My life is not altered by it in any way and to me it's daft that it's considered a disability but there we go, I wouldn't be arguing about it with an employer though

LewishamMumNow · 18/10/2024 09:15

@Dramatic I'm the same and couldn't agree with you more.

sunshine244 · 18/10/2024 09:29

As far as I know dyslexia is assessed as someone who has a literacy (reading, writing, processing) ability significantly below their potential. For example my son is 10. His vocabulary and understanding is at age 11/12. His reading is age 7, writing age 6. The vast gap is what leads to dyslexia diagnosis. However if his understanding was also significantly below his age this would indicate a learning disability not dyslexia.

Is it disabling? Absolutley, although probably less than his other neurodevelopmental issues.

I think with work if you don't choose to disclose your disability you can't then demand reasonable adjustments or complain you aren't being properly supported in connection to these. So arguing you don't have a disability would presumably mean they don't have to take into account any needs you have. If you have issues processing information then it sounds like you are in some way disabled by your dyslexia.

Neverhot · 18/10/2024 14:02

Mamabearsmile · 18/10/2024 00:15

What kind of specialist please?

Edited

Learning Disability Nurse Specialist/BST. I do not assess people with Dyslexia or Dyspraxia. This is my point. When I receive a referral for people with either of these I cannot accept them.
You are confusing learning disabilities with learning difficulties. I'm not saying that these are not classed as a disability off their own merits, but they are not classed as learning disabilities.
This is based on having an IQ of below 70 and is usually a chromosomal or genetic anomaly.
The NICE guidelines clearly state this.
The NHS site also states that Dyslexia is a learning difficulty and not a learning disability.
As a previous poster said, you have been looking on American Internet pages which uses different terminology.

Is dyslexia a disability
Is dyslexia a disability
Neverhot · 18/10/2024 14:04

Sammyspurs · 18/10/2024 06:18

My son is severely dyslexic and has associated learning disabilities along with verbal dyspraxia however is very bright.
he attends a private school for dyslexic children with associated disabilities and a lot of them are very clever also. As in above 70 IQ.

Again, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia are not learning disabilities.

Is dyslexia a disability
Is dyslexia a disability
SherbetSweeties · 18/10/2024 14:30

I'm mildly dyslexic and no i don't consider it a disability. It's a learning difficulty.

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