Disability Factsheets
The team have created factsheets for the below disabilities and neurodivergent conditions. The fact sheets will give you some general information, behaviours and symptoms and how to support employees.
The team has created an accessible document that can be printed and shared:
- ADHD
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) manifests with a pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that inhibits functioning or development.
People with ADHD may display the following symptoms or behaviours:
- Inattention - difficulty staying on task, maintaining focus, and staying on track. These problems are not due to cognitive ability of a lack of willingness.
- Hyperactivity – extreme restlessness, constantly moving, excessively fidgeting, and talking, including in situations when it is not appropriate.
- Impulsivity - acting without thinking or difficulty with self-control. May manifest in the need for immediate reward. An impulsive person may interrupt others or make important decisions without considering long-term consequences.
Supporting Employees with ADHD
The following list outlines possible reasonable adjustments intended for employees with ADHD. It is imperative to acknowledge the inherent variability in each individual's requirements, as reasonable adjustments should be tailored to both the specific needs of the individual and the demands of their respective role. This list is not exhaustive, and it is important to seek advice from the EDI team before implementing reasonable adjustments by emailing Reasonable.Adjustments@sthk.nhs.uk
- Visual prompts – e.g., wall charts for routines, checklists, post-it notes for reminders.
- Encouraging use of alarms and timers.
- Offer increased supervision or frequent check-ins and feedback.
- Tasks broken down into clear, bite size steps.
- Give instructions and meeting notes in writing rather than verbally.
- Noise-cancelling headphones. These help to block out background noise in a busy office or department.
- Encourage use of to do lists.
- Note taking apps (can be as simple as notes function on phone).
- Autism
Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental condition characterized by a range of symptoms and challenges related to communication, social interaction, and behaviour. Autism is often referred to as a "spectrum" disorder because it manifests differently in each individual, with varying degrees of severity and a wide range of associated strengths and weaknesses.
People with Autism may display the following symptoms or behaviours:
- Finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling.
- Getting very anxious about social situations.
- Finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on your own.
- Seeming blunt, rude, or not interested in others without meaning to
- finding it hard to say how you feel.
- Taking things very literally – for example, you may not understand sarcasm or phrases like "break a leg.”
- Having the same routine every day and getting very anxious if it changes.
Supporting Autistic Employees
The following list outlines possible reasonable adjustments intended for employees on the autism spectrum. It is imperative to acknowledge the inherent variability in each individual's requirements, as reasonable adjustments should be tailored to both the specific needs of the individual and the demands of their respective role. This list is not exhaustive, and it is important to seek advice from the EDI team before implementing reasonable adjustments by emailing Reasonable.Adjustments@sthk.nhs.uk
- Noise-cancelling headphones. These help to block out background noise in a busy office or department.
- A screen filter for a laptop or desktop PC monitor. This helps to make a screen seem less bright, minimising the risk of sensory overload.
- Use of a quiet, secluded part of the workplace. This is useful for avoiding all the noise and movement that can trigger sensory overload if it gets too much.
- Time management and project management apps. These can help with scheduling tasks and finding out what is happening on each day.
- Instant messaging and text-to-speech apps. For those who are non-verbal or are not confident in using the phone or face-to-face conversation, these apps can help to break down communication barriers.
- Ergonomic equipment such as keyboards, mice, trackpads, and other tools like that can help to make an autistic employee feel more comfortable.
- Flexible hours- a working pattern to suit the needs and body clock of an autistic employee.
- Exemption from team meetings and social gatherings. This comes in the form of permission to miss team-building exercises, meetings, brainstorming sessions, and team nights out.
- Exemption from meeting clients- this is down to communication issues some autistic people face, rather than anything else.
- Deafness and hearing loss
Deafness or hearing loss is a condition where an individual experiences a partial or complete loss of their ability to hear. This can occur in one or both ears and can range from mild to profound. Hearing loss can be temporary or permanent and may affect a person's ability to hear and understand sounds in various frequencies and volumes. It can be caused by various factors, including congenital, infection, age related, noise exposure and physical trauma. It is important to note that hearing loss is broad and encompasses a wide range of conditions, each with its own unique characteristics and challenges.
People with hearing loss may experience the following symptoms or behaviours:
- Frequently asking people to repeat themselves.
- Misunderstanding or misinterpreting what others are saying.
- Struggling to follow conversations, especially in noisy environments.
- Experiencing ringing, buzzing, hissing, or other phantom sounds in the ears, which can be a symptom of hearing loss.
- Finding it particularly challenging to hear and understand the person on the other end of a phone or headset.
- Having trouble hearing in busy noisy environments.
- Feeling tired or stressed after straining to hear and understand conversations.
Supporting employees with deafness or hearing loss
The following list outlines possible reasonable adjustments intended for employees with deafness or hearing loss. It is imperative to acknowledge the inherent variability in each individual's requirements, as reasonable adjustments should be tailored to both the specific needs of the individual and the demands of their respective role. Managers should also seek support from the EDI team to carry out a risk assessment for hearing impaired employees. This list is not exhaustive, and it is important to seek advice from the EDI team before implementing reasonable adjustments by emailing Reasonable.Adjustments@sthk.nhs.uk
- Utilising video calling to allow the employee to sign or lip-read.
- Voice to text software to aid employee communication.
- Consider working or office location to minimise background noise.
- Consider lighting to assist with the employee both seeing everyone clearly and lipreading.
- Speaking one at a time in meetings and using the hands up feature in Teams.
- Assistive headset for phone users.
- Amplified stethoscopes.
- Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia is a specific and persistent difficulty in understanding numbers which can lead to a diverse range of difficulties with mathematics. It will be unexpected in relation to age, level of education and experience and occurs across all ages and abilities.
Mathematics difficulties are best thought of as a continuum, not a distinct category, and they have many causal factors. Dyscalculia falls at one end of the spectrum and will be distinguishable from other maths issues due to the severity of difficulties with number sense, including subitising, symbolic and non-symbolic magnitude comparison, and ordering. It can occur singly but often co-occurs with other specific learning difficulties, mathematics anxiety and medical conditions.
People with Dyscalculia may show the following symptoms or behaviours:
- Difficulty counting backwards.
- Difficulty remembering ‘basic’ facts.
- Slow to perform calculations.
- Weak mental arithmetic skills.
- A poor sense of numbers & estimation.
- Difficulty in understanding place value.
- Addition is often the default operation.
- High levels of mathematics anxiety.
Supporting Employees with Dyscalculia
The following list outlines possible reasonable adjustments intended for employees with Dyscalculia. It is imperative to acknowledge the inherent variability in each individual's requirements, as reasonable adjustments should be tailored to both the specific needs of the individual and the demands of their respective role. This list is not exhaustive, and it is important to seek advice from the EDI team before implementing reasonable adjustments by emailing Reasonable.Adjustments@sthk.nhs.uk
- Provide a Calculator – If the employee is required to multiply, add, or subtract as part of their role and struggles to do this.
- Use Visual Charts and diagrams to interpret the data such as pie charts, bar graphs etc.
- Explain what the numbers that you have communicated mean for the department/ organisation.
- Encourage use of notes in meetings to note down any numbers or math problems.
- Display a clear table with conversions of measures/formulas if relevant to the role, which is easily accessible for the employee.
- Provide Time Management Tools.
- Encourage the use of alarms to keep track of time.
- Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling. Characteristic features of dyslexia are difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory, and verbal processing speed.
Dyslexia occurs across the range of intellectual abilities. It is best thought of as a continuum, not a distinct category, and there are no clear cut-off points. Co-occurring difficulties may be seen in aspects of language, motor co-ordination, mental calculation, concentration, and personal organisation, but these are not, by themselves, markers of dyslexia.
People with dyslexia may show the following symptoms or behaviours:
- Slow reading speed and/or trouble including small words and parts of longer words when reading aloud.
- A hard time remembering abbreviations.
- Difficulty comprehending or retaining information they read.
- A tendency to avoid reading, both aloud and to themselves.
- Frustration when reading to themselves or aloud.
- Low self-esteem toward reading and writing.
- A preference to answer questions if content is read aloud to them, rather than if they have to read the text themselves.
- Difficulty performing everyday activities—including social interaction, memory, and stress management—due to frustration and anxiety caused by dyslexia.
Supporting Employees with Dyslexia
The following list outlines possible reasonable adjustments intended for employees with Dyslexia. It is imperative to acknowledge the inherent variability in each individual's requirements, as reasonable adjustments should be tailored to both the specific needs of the individual and the demands of their respective role. This list is not exhaustive, and it is important to seek advice from the EDI team before implementing reasonable adjustments by emailing Reasonable.Adjustments@sthk.nhs.uk
- Give verbal as well as written instructions.
- Assistive technology such as a screen-reader, scanning pen, text to speech or mind-mapping software.
- Provide all hard copy resources on coloured paper (find out which colour helps the person to read best).
- Highlight key points in documents.
- Allow additional of time to read and complete the task.
- Use different formats to convey information e.g., audio or videotape, drawings, diagrams, and flowcharts.
- Use a digital recorder to record meetings, training etc so the employee does not have to rely on memory or written notes.
- Change background colour of screen to suit individual preference.
- Supply anti-glare screen filter.
- Alternate computer work with other tasks, where possible.
- Communicate instructions slowly and clearly and minimise distractions, and check understanding.
- Digital recorder to record important instructions.
- Some people find physical calendars and wall planners useful.
- Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia, also known as developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD), is a common disorder that affects movement and co-ordination.
Dyspraxia does not affect your intelligence. It can affect your co-ordination skills – such as tasks requiring balance, playing sports, or learning to drive a car. Dyspraxia can also affect your fine motor skills, such as writing or using small objects. Symptoms of dyspraxia can vary between individuals and may change over time.
People with dyspraxia may show the following symptoms or behaviours:
- Problems with co-ordination, balance, and movement.
- Learning new skills, how you think, and remember information at work and home.
- Problems with daily living skills, such as dressing or preparing meals.
- Affect their ability to write, type, draw and grasp small objects.
- How they function in social situations.
- How they deal with their emotions.
- Problems with time management, planning and personal organisation skills.
Supporting Employees with Dyspraxia
The following list outlines possible reasonable adjustments intended for employees with Dyspraxia. It is imperative to acknowledge the inherent variability in each individual's requirements, as reasonable adjustments should be tailored to both the specific needs of the individual and the demands of their respective role. This list is not exhaustive, and it is important to seek advice from the EDI team before implementing reasonable adjustments by emailing Reasonable.Adjustments@sthk.nhs.uk
- Ergonomic keyboard and mouse.
- Change background colour of screen to suit individual preference.
- Carry out a DSE (Display Screen Equipment) assessment.
- Communicate instructions slowly and clearly and minimise distractions, and check understanding.
- Give verbal as well as written instructions.
- Assistive technology such as a screen-reader, scanning pen, text to speech or mind-mapping software.
- Visual Impairment
Visual impairment refers to a condition in which an individual's vision is significantly impaired or limited, making it difficult for them to see and perceive the world around them as fully and clearly as someone with normal vision. Visual impairment can vary in severity, from mild to profound, and it can be caused by various factors, including eye diseases, injuries, congenital conditions, or neurological disorders. It is important to note that the term "visual impairment" is broad and encompasses a wide range of conditions, each with its own unique characteristics and challenges.
People with visual impairment may experience the following symptoms:
- Lower rates of workforce participation and productivity.
- Higher rates of depression and anxiety.
- Difficulty in visually recognizing colleagues and fellow staff members.
- Finding computer screens, print and handwritten documents difficult to read.
- Eye fatigue or pain, and discomfort with bright lights.
- Experiencing migraines, headaches, and overall tiredness.
- Difficulties in dark or dim environments and with judging depth.
Supporting Employees with Visual Impairment
The following list outlines possible reasonable adjustments intended for employees with visual impairment. It is imperative to acknowledge the inherent variability in each individual's requirements, as reasonable adjustments should be tailored to both the specific needs of the individual and the demands of their respective role. Managers should also seek support from the EDI team to carry out a risk assessment for visually impaired employees. This list is not exhaustive, and it is important to seek advice from the EDI team before implementing reasonable adjustments by emailing Reasonable.Adjustments@sthk.nhs.uk
- Larger screen monitors.
- Magnification software.
- Screen reading software.
- Being flexible about the hours you work.
- Providing accessible documents.
- Adapted keyboard and mouse.
- Digital voice recorder.
- Carry out a DSE (Display Screen Equipment) assessment.