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Audio Reading: Neurodiversity Hiring: Dyslexia
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Neurodiversity has become a crucial issue for organisations looking to build inclusive environments. Among the various forms of neurodiversity, dyslexia stands out as the most common, affecting nearly 10-15% of the population. As organisations increasingly rely on pre-employment testing to select candidates, they must address the unique challenges that dyslexic candidates face. This includes ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible, and free from bias.
Dyslexia primarily affects an individual’s ability to process and understand written information, posing challenges in tasks that require verbal reasoning or reading comprehension.
Dyslexia primarily affects an individual’s ability to process and understand written information, posing challenges in tasks that require verbal reasoning or reading comprehension. Despite these challenges, individuals with dyslexia possess cognitive strengths that are often overlooked in traditional assessments. In this article, we explore how dyslexia affects pre-employment testing and discuss strategies to create a fair and inclusive testing environment for neurodiverse candidates.
Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty that affects a person’s ability to read, write, and process verbal information. Unlike other conditions, dyslexia is not linked to overall intelligence or cognitive capability. In fact, many individuals with dyslexia excel in areas such as problem-solving, creativity, and visual reasoning. However, when it comes to tasks that involve reading or interpreting written information, dyslexic individuals can struggle due to the way their brains process text.
One area where this becomes particularly relevant is in the use of gamified assessments. Gamified assessments are increasingly popular in recruitment, as they make the testing process more engaging and can provide valuable insights into a candidate's cognitive abilities and problem-solving skills.
For someone with dyslexia, the experience of reading long passages of text can be slow, frustrating, and prone to errors, leading to an unfair disadvantage in comparison to neurotypical candidates.
Pre-employment tests that heavily rely on verbal reasoning or reading comprehension can present a significant challenge for dyslexic candidates. For example, traditional verbal reasoning often require candidates to read passages of text and draw conclusions based on the information provided.
Given that dyslexia is one of the most prevalent forms of neurodiversity, it is vital for organisations to ensure that their recruitment processes are inclusive. Without proper adjustments, dyslexic candidates may be inadvertently screened out due to the limitations of traditional testing methods, despite possessing the skills and abilities required for the role.
Traditional verbal reasoning tests form a significant part of many recruitment processes. These assessments measure a candidate’s ability to understand and analyse written information, making them a popular choice for employers seeking to assess cognitive ability. However, for dyslexic candidates, these tests can be particularly challenging, as they often involve:
For someone with dyslexia, these challenges can lead to misinterpretations, confusion, and slower processing times, which are not reflective of their true cognitive abilities. The structure of these tests does not account for the unique way in which dyslexic individuals process information, resulting in biased outcomes that may unfairly penalise them during the selection process.
To address these challenges, organisations must make reasonable adjustments to their pre-employment testing processes. These adjustments help to level the playing field for neurodiverse candidates, ensuring that they are evaluated based on their skills and potential, rather than their ability to navigate a test that may not be designed with them in mind.
One of the most effective adjustments is providing extra time. Dyslexic individuals often require more time to read and process written information, and offering additional time during assessments can significantly reduce the pressure they face. Allowing 25% extra time is a common adjustment, but this can vary depending on the candidate’s needs. In some cases, candidates may provide documentation, such as a certificate from an educational psychologist, indicating the specific amount of extra time they require.
Extra time is a reasonable accommodation because it mirrors the reality of the workplace. In most roles, dyslexic employees are not required to complete reading or verbal tasks under strict time constraints. By providing additional time during assessments, employers can ensure that dyslexic candidates have a fair opportunity to demonstrate their abilities.
In addition to extra time, employers should also ensure that their testing platforms are compatible with assistive technologies. Many dyslexic individuals use tools such as screen readers, text-to-speech software, and browser extensions that enhance accessibility. These tools can help dyslexic candidates navigate written content more easily by adjusting text size, changing background colours, or reading text aloud.
It is important that pre-employment testing platforms do not conflict with the candidate’s preferred accessibility tools. Instead of offering built-in accessibility features that may not integrate with the candidate’s existing software, it is more effective to ensure that the platform is flexible and compatible with external accessibility tools.
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In recent years, gamified assessments have emerged as an alternative to traditional pre-employment tests. These assessments present tasks in a more engaging, interactive format, often using games or simulations to measure cognitive abilities such as problem-solving, logical reasoning, and creativity. For neurodiverse candidates, particularly those with dyslexia, gamified assessments offer several advantages.
One of the primary benefits of gamified assessments is that they are often non-verbal. Unlike traditional verbal reasoning tests, which rely heavily on written text, gamified assessments are designed to be intuitive and visually driven.
This reduces the need for reading comprehension, allowing dyslexic candidates to engage with the assessment without the added burden of navigating complex text.
Moreover, gamified assessments are typically more dynamic and interactive, which can help candidates stay focused and engaged. For individuals with dyslexia, who may find reading dense passages of text monotonous or overwhelming, gamified assessments provide a more accessible and enjoyable way to demonstrate their cognitive abilities.
While some employers may worry that gamified assessments could introduce new challenges for neurodiverse candidates, research suggests that they are, in fact, highly beneficial for dyslexic individuals. By reducing the reliance on language and focusing more on visual reasoning and problem-solving, gamified assessments align with the strengths of dyslexic candidates and provide a more accurate representation of their abilities.
To create a recruitment process that is both fair and inclusive for dyslexic candidates, organisations should follow a few key best practices:
As organisations continue to prioritise diversity and inclusion in the workplace, ensuring that recruitment processes are accessible to neurodiverse candidates is more important than ever. For dyslexic individuals, traditional pre-employment tests that rely heavily on verbal reasoning can present significant challenges. However, by making reasonable adjustments—such as providing extra time, ensuring compatibility with assistive technologies, and considering alternative assessments like gamified tasks—employers can create a more inclusive and equitable recruitment process.
Dyslexia does not diminish a candidate’s ability to contribute meaningfully to the workplace. By recognising and accommodating the unique challenges that dyslexic candidates face, organisations can tap into a diverse talent pool and ensure that their hiring processes reflect their commitment to fairness and inclusion.