British Dyslexia Association: Research with Dyslexic Adults in the Workplace
Background & Context
The British Dyslexia Association (BDA) commissioned M·E·L Research to undertake a substantial mixed-method research study exploring the experiences of dyslexic adults in employment in England.
The BDA wanted to build a robust evidence base around the lived experiences of dyslexic employees, looking beyond the practical challenges associated with dyslexia to understand its wider impact on people’s working lives. This included exploring confidence, wellbeing and career progression, as well as experiences of recruitment, disclosure, workplace culture and access to appropriate support and reasonable adjustments.
A particular focus was understanding the less visible aspects of being dyslexic at work, including the additional effort and coping strategies employees may use to manage workplace demands. The research also explored the factors influencing whether people felt comfortable disclosing their dyslexia and requesting support, alongside the role played by managers, colleagues and organisational culture.
The BDA wanted the research to identify the workplace practices, adjustments, technologies and management approaches that could enable dyslexic employees to perform at their best. It also sought to generate evidence-based recommendations for employers and Government around recruitment, workplace support, policy and practice.
This was a sensitive research topic. Participants were asked about potentially difficult experiences including workplace stress, mental health, confidence, discrimination, bullying and harassment, as well as their feelings about disclosing dyslexia to employers. Accessibility was therefore an important consideration throughout the research design.
Approach
M·E·L Research designed and delivered a mixed-method programme combining a large-scale quantitative survey with an in-depth qualitative online community. The quantitative and qualitative evidence was subsequently brought together to provide both a robust assessment of the prevalence of different experiences and a richer understanding of what those experiences meant to dyslexic employees.
The methodology comprised:
Quantitative online survey – 1,238 dyslexic employees: M·E·L Research drafted a 10-minute questionnaire, which was reviewed collaboratively with the BDA before being programmed in-house. Recognising the needs of the target audience, the survey incorporated dyslexia-accessible features, including a plain coloured background, easy-to-read fonts, an option for questions to be read aloud and the ability for respondents to record responses to open-text questions. The survey was self-completed online by 1,238 dyslexic adults aged 18+ who were employed and living in England. Quotas were set for age and ethnicity. The sample included people across genders, age groups, ethnicities, income and education levels, working patterns, organisation sizes, sectors, seniority levels and regions of England. It also included employees with different experiences of dyslexia identification, from formal diagnosis and workplace or Occupational Health assessments to self-identification.
Qualitative online community – 12 dyslexic employees: Survey respondents who had given informed consent to further research were selected for an online qualitative community. Recruitment was informed by participants’ survey responses to ensure the community captured a mix of gender, age, ethnicity, household income and workplace experiences. The 12 participants came from across England and included employees working both full- and part-time. The community enabled M·E·L Research to explore participants’ experiences in much greater depth, including the hidden effort associated with dyslexia, disclosure, workplace support, adjustments and technology.
The qualitative community also incorporated interactive exercises. Participants considered different potential workplace adjustments and categorised them according to whether they viewed them as completely reasonable, dependent on the role or not reasonable. They explored barriers to asking for workplace support and considered potential priorities for Government.
As an additional evaluative exercise, participants reviewed a real example of an organisation’s approach to supporting dyslexic and neurodivergent employees. They identified aspects that stood out, elements they found useful or reassuring, and anything they considered unclear or unhelpful. A heat map was produced from this exercise, and participants subsequently assessed how likely the information would make them to disclose their dyslexia or request support within the organisation.
Analysis
M·E·L Research cleaned and processed the quantitative data and applied corrective weighting by age and ethnicity so that the results reflected the profile of the employed population in England, using ONS Labour Force Survey statistics. The weighted survey data were then tabulated and analysed by the research team.
The analysis went beyond headline results to examine differences between groups, including by gender, sector, organisation size and other demographic and employment characteristics. Statistical significance testing at the 95% confidence level was used within subgroup analysis. The report was careful to highlight interconnected sample characteristics and to make clear that observed associations should not be interpreted as causal relationships.
Qualitative material from the online community was analysed thematically by M·E·L researchers. The study also drew on extensive open-text responses from the quantitative survey, particularly participants’ explanations of the support and attitudes they experienced and the changes they would most like to see in workplaces.
M·E·L Research then integrated the quantitative and qualitative strands, allowing the scale of different experiences to be understood alongside employees’ own accounts of what those experiences looked and felt like in practice.
Outputs
M·E·L Research produced a comprehensive research report for the BDA, bringing together the quantitative and qualitative findings in an accessible, visual format. The report covered the impact of dyslexia in the workplace, recruitment experiences, disclosure to employers, workplace experiences and culture, workplace adjustments, technology and the changes dyslexic employees wanted to see.
The research generated a substantial evidence base for the BDA. For example, the survey found that 69% of dyslexic employees said dyslexia had made it more difficult to demonstrate their skills during recruitment, while 65% reported that dyslexia had made career progression more difficult. Three-quarters said dyslexia reduced their confidence at work, and 81% reported that it had played a role in work-related stress.
The research also demonstrated the importance of both practical support and workplace culture. While 54% of those who had disclosed their dyslexia rated the support received from their employer as good, 69% of all respondents felt there was not enough support for dyslexia in the workplace. Technology emerged as an important enabler, with 78% using tools or technology to support them at work.
The qualitative research gave depth and human context to these statistics, illustrating how supportive managers, appropriate adjustments, assistive technology and inclusive communication could enable dyslexic employees to work effectively. It also demonstrated the additional effort some employees made when appropriate support was absent.
The final report translated this extensive evidence into clear areas for action. These included improving understanding of dyslexia, equipping managers to support neurodivergent employees, creating cultures in which people felt safe to disclose, making workplace adjustments clearer and easier to access, and adopting more flexible and inclusive ways of working.
Together, the large-scale representative quantitative survey and detailed qualitative exploration gave the BDA a robust evidence base on dyslexic adults’ experiences of employment, combining statistical evidence with lived experience and practical insights into how employers and policymakers could create more inclusive workplaces.
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