Workplace Support
Reasonable Adjustments
You can ask for ‘reasonable adjustments’ in your workplace to help you manage your job with dyscalculia.
To meet the Equality Act (2010) employers must make reasonable adjustments to make sure workers with disabilities, or physical or mental health conditions, are not substantially disadvantaged when doing their jobs. This applies to all workers, including trainees, apprentices, contract workers and business partners.
You can find out more about ‘reasonable adjustments’ here: (https://www.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments-for-disabled-workers) and here: (https://n-attc.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Are-You-Neurodivergent-2.pdf)
Workplace Needs Assessment
A workplace needs assessment does not give a diagnosis. It is designed to identify reasonable adjustments that can be implemented to support a person in the workplace.
The assessor will complete an impartial evaluation and will work with the individual and their employer to identify potential solutions to any workplace issues. The assessments takes into account the specific needs of the individual alongside the job role, job responsibilities and the workplace environment.
There are many companies who offer workplace needs assessments and your employer may already have a company that they work with.
We have worked with, https://n-attc.co.uk/workplace-needs-assessment/ and https://www.positivedyslexia.co.uk/employers/
Access to Work Scheme
You can get support via the Access to Work Scheme.
Through access to work you can apply for:
- a grant to help pay for practical support with your work.
- support with managing your mental health at work.
- money to pay for communication support at job interviews.
Access to work could also give you a grant to help pay for things like:
- specialist equipment and assistive software.
- support workers, like a BSL interpreter, a job coach or a travel buddy.
- costs of travelling to work, if you cannot use public transport.
- adaptations to your vehicle so you can get to work.
- physical changes to your workplace.
Your workplace can include your home if you work from there some or all of the time.
You can find out more here: https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work.
If you need help with the process of applying our friends at NATTC would be happy to assist https://n-attc.co.uk/access-to-work/
Content Design for Users with Dyscalculia or low numeracy
Numbers are all around us and are often used in ways that make it difficult for them to be accessed by those with dyscalculia and maths difficulties.
We were delighted to be part of the consultancy process for this poster researched and created by Laura Parker with support from Rachel Malic and Jane MacFadyen for the Department of Work and Pensions. It sets out how to create inclusive content for people with dyscalculia and low numeracy.
Laura, Rachel and Jane write that,
‘We need to deliver services which convey numbers plainly and in a way that is easy for everyone to understand. There are simple ways we can design to help people make better sense of numbers. And this is vital. It could mean the difference between people using a service to access the support they need or not being able to use it at all.’
One of our brilliant Adults with Dyscalculia advisory board members, Laura Parker, was one of the team who created this poster. She has also created this fabulous website with tons of useful information on how to make numbers more accessible to people with dyscalculia and low numeracy. We are proud to endorse this project: https://accessiblenumbers.com/
