“Dyslexia should not be invisible in the workplace.” – Fernette Eide MD Co-Founder Dyslexic Advantage
The BBC reported that the global coffee giant Starbucks lost a discrimination lawsuit to a supervisor, Meseret Kumulchew.
Meseret had let her employer know that she was dyslexic, had difficulty with words and numbers, and learned best by being shown tasks visually. When some errors were found in her entries of refrigerator temperatures, however, she was accused of fraud, reassigned from her duties, and told to undergo retraining.
“The tribunal found Starbucks had failed to make reasonable adjustments for Ms Kumulchew’s disability and had discriminated against her because of the effects of her dyslexia.
It also found she had been victimized by her employer and there appeared to be little or no knowledge or understanding of equality issues.”
From The Guardian: Kumulchew urged Starbucks to follow its own approach to training baristas in making adjustments for her. “Starbucks says ‘do, show and tell’. That works brilliantly for me,” she said. “Visual, physical and reading, they all go together.
This morning Dyslexic Advantage called on all employers and human resources managers to address dyslexia awareness and education in the workplace. Awareness of dyslexia falls woefully short in the US and global workforce. Better education and training are necessary to reap the benefits of the breadth of talent, innovation, and ability that dyslexic people have to offer.
In the UK, there are corporate consulting groups that help train corporations to be compliant and agencies also that coordinate on the job consulting and advising. While it is true that there can be a chilling effect among employers, at the same time there is a 7% US Hiring mandate for disabilities.
There are many people who are intimidated in their workplaces because inclusive (and dyslexia-friendly training and practices) have not been devised.We have to look at where the community is now and where it should be. The LGBT and so many other communities have come a long way in making sure they are not discriminated against and have policies that protect their specific needs as a group.
I hope it also increases awareness of the importance of the positive identity of the dyslexic community. We need to celebrate the real legacy of all these folks who have come before and are here to day creating a better world. When people are able to identify with dyslexia and communicate their particular strengths – there are many positive ripples that impact the non-dyslexic and dyslexic communities.
And finally, re: the task of refrigerator temps – That could be a task that she needed to record involving assistive technology (like a talking note taking app or color coded Excel sheet) or delegated. There are lots of very important tasks associated with supervisor that don’t depend on data entry.
You are right none of us have the whole story. It did seem that her superior was taking an overly-aggressive stance to accuse her of fraud and demote her rather than trying to figure out the facts.