Ask the employee what helps, then provide adjustments like text-to-speech software, written-plus-verbal instructions, extra time and a quieter workspace. Under the Equality Act 2010, this is a legal duty.
Start with the person, not the checklist
Dyslexia affects each person differently, so the first move is a conversation, not a purchase order. Acas is clear that what suits one neurodivergent worker may not suit another, so ask your employee what gets in the way and what would help. Then agree the adjustments together and review them as the job changes.
A menu of common dyslexia adjustments
Drawing on Acas and the British Dyslexia Association, the changes employers most often put in place fall into five groups:
- Assistive software and equipment: text-to-speech and screen readers, speech-to-text for dictating, scanning pens and mind-mapping tools.
- Instruction format: give instructions both verbally and in writing, and break tasks into clear, ordered steps rather than one dense email.
- Time and deadlines: allow extra reading and writing time, build in regular breaks, and set realistic deadlines for text-heavy work.
- Environment: reduce distractions and offer a quieter workspace, plus the person's preferred coloured paper or screen background and anti-glare filters.
- Memory and meetings: support memory with planners, calendars and reminders, and record meetings digitally instead of relying on the employee to take notes.
Why this is a duty, not a favour
These are reasonable adjustments, and the Equality Act 2010 makes them a legal duty for employers. The duty has three parts: change a working practice that puts a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage, deal with physical features, and provide auxiliary aids such as information in an accessible format (sections 20 and 21). You cannot pass the cost of an adjustment to the employee, and failing to make a reasonable adjustment is itself disability discrimination. For more on the test, see what the duty to make reasonable adjustments involves.
One point the top results often gloss over: your employee does not need a formal dyslexia diagnosis to be protected. The trigger is the Equality Act's definition of disability, a long-term, substantial effect on normal day-to-day activities, assessed for that individual. Dyslexia commonly meets that test but is not automatically a disability, so do not gatekeep support behind a diagnostic report. Whether dyslexia counts as a disability turns on the effect, not the label.
Where Access to Work fits
The government's Access to Work scheme can grant your employee specialist equipment, assistive software and support workers. It sits on top of your duty, not instead of it: Access to Work will not pay for the reasonable adjustments you are legally required to make. So you cannot point an employee to the grant as a substitute for adjusting the job yourself, though it is a useful route for the extras beyond your core duty.
Where the law comes from
Related
This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.