Dyslexia and policing. Understanding the impact that dyslexia has in the police service in England and Wales

• Date: 19 August 2019
• Published date: 19 August 2019
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-11-2018-0218
• Pages: 634-651
• Author: Stephen J. Macdonald,Faye Cosgrove
• Subject Matter: Hr & organizational behaviour,Employment law

Dyslexia and policing

Understanding the impact that dyslexia has in

the police service in England and Wales

Stephen J. Macdonald and Faye Cosgrove

School of Social Sciences, University of Sunderland, Sunderland, UK

Abstract

Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of officers/civilians with dyslexia serving

in the police service in England and Wales. Although there has been a growing body of research which has

analysed the experiences of offenders and victims with dyslexia, there have been few studies focusing on the

experiences of police officers/civilians with this condition. This study employs the social modelof disability to

conceptualise the experiences of these police officers/civilians from a disability rights perspective.

Design/methodology/approach –This applies a quantitative methodology to analyse data on disabling

environments experienced by officers/civilians serving in a police service situated in the North of England.

The paper collected data from 56 police employees previously diagnosed with dyslexia.

Findings –The findings revealthat a significant number of officers were reluctantto disclose that they had

dyslexia to their police service. The choice to disclose was a key concern for officers/civilians, as this was

directlylinked to their experiencesof stigmatisation, as well as the risk of theircompetences being questionedat

work. The analysispresents evidence that, althoughofficers/civilianshave legal protections under the Equality

Act 2010 (c15) in the UK, very few had experienced any form of “reasonable adjustment”in the workplace.

Originality/value –Drawing on the social model of disability, the paper concludes that the police service

must improve access to reasonable adjustment, for example, through the use of assistive technologies, to

create a more inclusive and supportive working environment for their employees.

Keywords Dyslexia, Quantitative methods, Social model of disability, Disabling barriers, Equality Act

Paper type Research paper

Introduction

Over recent years there has been a small but growing body of literature examining the

experiences of adults with dyslexia (Bartlett and Moody, 2010; Leather et al., 2011;

Macdonald, 2009; Moody, 2016; Reid, 2010; Skinner and MacGill, 2015). Traditionally,

research in the field of dyslexia has been dominated by a pathological description of the

condition, or the impact that dyslexia has in education (Frith and Frith, 1996; Nicolson and

Fawcett, 1990; Snowling, 2000). With reference to research into dyslexia and adulthood,

these studies have predominantly focussed on the impact that dyslexia has within the

workplace (Bartlett and Moody, 2010; Fitzgibbon and O’Connor, 2002; Reid, 2010). However,

within this body of literature, numerous studies have moved away from the traditional

biomedical perspective of dyslexia and adopted a social model approach to comprehend

barriers within employment (Bartlett and Moody, 2010; Collinson and Penketh, 2010;

Hill, 2013; Macdonald, 2009; Skinner and MacGill, 2015). Although there have been

numerous studies of dyslexia and employment, very few studies have been conducted

exploring how dyslexia affects police officers working in often stressful and complex

environments (Hill, 2013; Kirby, 2016).

This paper will commence by discussing disability employment legislation that makes it

unlawful to discriminate against disabled people based on their impairment (Equality Act 2010

(c15); Kirby, 2016). The authors will discuss key concepts such as “reasonable adjustment”and

“disabling barriers”that affect people with dyslexia in the police service (Bartlett and Moody,

2010; Hill, 2013). The paper will reveal that for officers/civilians diagnosed with dyslexia (n¼56)

a significant issue arose concerning dyslexia disclosure (Hill, 2013). The findings discovered that

just under half of officers diagnosed with dyslexia had not informed the police service of their

condition, and the reasons given by officers/civilians for not disclosing were due to concerns

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 38 No. 6, 2019

pp. 634-651

© Emerald PublishingLimited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI-11-2018-0218

Received 3 July 2018

Revised 23 November 2018

21 February 2019

Accepted 4 March 2019

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

www.emeraldinsight.com/2040-7149.htm

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EDI

38,6

about stigmatisation and discrimination. The findings will reveal that very few officers/civilians

who have disclosed have then received access to support or adjustment in the workplace, and

some employees have experienced discrimination. This paper concludes by suggesting that, to

foster an inclusive working environment within the police service, key barriers must be

recognised and removed to allow officers/civilians the ability to achieve their full occupational

potential. The authors suggest that by doing this the police service will be compliant with

employment legislation, and this may also improve staff retention and retain valuable

occupational experience and skills (Hill, 2013; Kirby, 2016).

Dyslexia and employment

Since the 1990s there has been an emergence of government legislation in the UK aimed at

eradicating disability discrimination within the workplace. Policies such as the Disability

Discrimination Act 1995 (c50) and later the Equality Act 2010 (c15) have made it unlawful to

discriminate against people on the grounds of disability. In these acts, the definition of disability

incorporates dyslexia as an impairment, resulting in legal protection of the rights of people with

this condition. As Bartlett and Moody (2010) state, contemporary social policy has developed a

dyslexia-friendly approach intended to reduce any form of disadvantage a person might

experience in the workplace due to their impairment. Consequently, it is unlawful for employers

to actively discriminate against the selection of candidates, or to end a person’semployment,

due to issues affected by dyslexia. Therefore, employers have a legal responsibility to make

reasonable adjustments in the workplace to create an inclusive working environment for all

disabled people (Bartlett and Moody, 2010; Moody, 2016; Reid, 2010).

As stated, research into dyslexia and employment has generally applied a disability rights

perspective, which is advocated by the social model of disability (Bartlett and Moody, 2010;

Moody, 2016; Reid, 2010). In research by Bartlett and Moody (2010), a significant theme that

emerges is anxieties about disclosure. They suggest that people with dyslexia have key

concerns about informing their employers for fear of negative or discriminatory attitudes from

co-workers, managers and/or employers. Skinner and MacGill (2015) suggest that supportive or

openly discriminatory attitudes of managers/co-workers are central in nurturing either an

inclusive or a discriminatory environment, respectively, within the workplace. Disabling

attitudes by managers not only negatively impact on the well-being of employees with dyslexia,

but can also lead to reduced promotion opportunities, or even staff leaving their employment

altogether. Therefore, for many adults with dyslexia, the management of stigmatisation

becomes the central feature in their decision whether to disclose dyslexia to their employer

(Hill, 2013; Macdonald, 2010; Riddick, 2000; Skinner and MacGill, 2015).

If an individual has made a disclosure to their employer, Bartlett and Moody (2010) and

Moody (2016) observe that it is vital that the establishment has a clear understanding of

disability legislation and the concept of “reasonable adjustment”. They suggest that disability/

dyslexiaawareness trainingis a vital componentof their responsibilities, to giveemployers the

skills needed to make workplace adjustments, such as allowing extra time, access to dictate and

text-to-read software, the use of dictaphones, secretarial support, etc. Hence, Moody (2016) and

Reid (2010) illustrate the importance of environmental adjustments within the workplace,

particularly around access to relevant ICT systems and assistive technologies, since these

technologies can help remove significant disabling barriers experienced by people with

dyslexia, especially concerning literacy skills. Reid (2010) and Skinner and MacGill (2015) also

illustrate the importance of flexible time management in relation to specific work-based duties,

which can make the difference between empowerment and disengagement. Therefore, these

authors suggest that in order to create inclusive spaces within the workplace there must be a

focus on barrier removal to include dyslexic employees within the contemporary workforce.

Although contemporary policy advocates an inclusive environment, focusing on barrier

removal within the workplace, a number of qualitative studies into dyslexia and

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Dyslexia and

policing