The following account is from Clare Rose.

I have worked at our Trust for over 15 years. In that time I’ve had several different roles both in clinical and corporate teams. I have dyslexia and have therefore used Access to Work  to support me to reach my potential within my roles.

Access to Work supports people with disabilities or a long term condition in the workplace. To do this they carry out a workplace assessment with the member of staff and recommend adjustments that can be made to equipment or processes.  I applied for my last assessment online but you can also apply over the phone.

Once my application was processed I was allocated a Workplace Assessor who attended my work place.  We had a conversation about my job role, how my dyslexia can impact me in work and what equipment I have used in the past and found helpful. From this assessment a report was produced detailing the reasonable adjustments that could be made to make my workplace more accessible. Lastly the report details if Access to Work are prepared to fund any or all of the costs of the equipment or training it has recommended.

As a result of my last assessment I now use the below equipment to support me

  • Text to speech software – this reads out loud text on the screen, this can be used to aid reading and spelling 
     
  • Speech to text software – this is dictation software and takes my speech and types it up on screen.  this is used to aid spelling and also reduce the issue of having a fast thinking speed and a slower writing speed
     
  • Screen tinting –  for me this turns my pc screen green this reduces visual stress making reading from a screen easier and increase reading stamina
     
  • Coloured paper – I find using blue paper reduces visual stress and increases reading stamina making reading from paper much easier.
     
    Access to Work also provided
  • A list of adjustments e.g. extra breaks, completing some tasks in a quieter environment and other suggestions both for me and my line manager.
  • Coping strategy training
  • Peer and line manager awareness training 
     

By having these resources in place I am able to perform my job to a high standard and can thrive in a working environment adapted to my needs.