Let’s Work Together
At the Health and Wellbeing at Work conference, I attended a fascinating session from Professor Stephen Macdonald on dyslexia and policing – a topic that challenges many assumptions about capability, inclusion and workplace design.
Professor Macdonald’s research explores how dyslexia is experienced within the police service, particularly in relation to literacy-heavy tasks such as report writing, paperwork and documentation. Rather than viewing dyslexia as an individual deficit, his work applies a social model perspective, suggesting that many of the barriers dyslexic officers face are created by workplace structures rather than by the condition itself.
What stood out most was the scale of the issue. Research into policing workforces suggests that a significant proportion of officers experience dyslexia or literacy-related challenges — yet many remain undiagnosed or unsupported.
And yet, the message from the research is clear:
Dyslexia does not mean someone cannot succeed in policing.
Instead, the difficulties often arise because policing environments have historically been designed around narrow assumptions of how people read, write and process information. When these systems rely heavily on rapid written communication and traditional documentation processes, they can unintentionally create barriers for otherwise highly capable officers.
Professor Macdonald’s work highlights that relatively small adjustments can make a significant difference – from assistive technology and alternative reporting tools to more inclusive recruitment and assessment processes.
More importantly, it challenges us to rethink how we define competence in high-pressure professions.
Policing requires far more than written literacy. It demands skills such as:
Many of these are strengths frequently reported among neurodivergent individuals.
The broader takeaway from the session was that neurodiversity is already present in our workplaces – often in greater numbers than we realise. The real question is whether organisational systems recognise and support that diversity.
If workplaces are serious about inclusion and wellbeing, then the goal cannot simply be awareness. It must be removing the structural barriers that prevent people from thriving.
Because when organisations design systems that work for neurodiverse employees, they often create better workplaces for everyone.
#Neurodiversity #WorkplaceInclusion #HealthAndWellbeingAtWork #Dyslexia #Policing #FutureOfWork