Jumbled keyboard letters

New Employment Law Updates Bring Good News for Dyslexic People

The latest UK employment law changes for employees includes regulation on sacking of people with dyslexia for poor performance.

This is an attempt to crack down on disability discrimination in the workplace.

If an employer was made aware of the employee’s dyslexia from the outset of employment, they must fulfil their duty to make reasonable adjustments to help the development and progression of the employee.

A situation arose in the case of Toy v Chief Constable of Leicestershire Police, in which the employer dismissed a dyslexic employee for poor performance.

However, in this case, the employee had only raised the fact they were dyslexic during the course of the termination process. If they had made it known during the course of employment or training, the employer would not have been able to dismiss the employee so easily.

Jamie Brown, Solicitor, said: “As a trainee solicitor with dyslexia, it was very reassuring to know that there was actually support there. I’m lucky since I have a close relationship with Wosskow Brown so this hasn’t been a problem for me.”

However, Jamie acknowledges that other people suffering from dyslexia may not be as comfortable addressing such a thing, but this law will give them the confidence to be open with their employer about their disability.

Scroll to top