Cognition accessibility

- Cognitive difference can be a difficult topic to discuss in the workplace. We know that 75% of people with dyslexia do not discuss it with their employer. Even if individuals were well-supported in education, they will often avoid disclosing at work. That's one in 10 of your workforce, by the way. It's also worth recognizing that the reading age of populations around the world is often far lower than you might think. Here in the UK, the average reading age is nine years old. As the modern workplace becomes increasingly digital and roles in retail, manufacturing, construction, and service roles are increasingly raising expectations for employees to use tech, we need to consider this topic carefully. So how can assistive technology help here? Let's take a look at these features. First is Read Aloud. Put simply, if you'd rather something was read for you, there are numerous ways to press play. Find them in Office and even in the Edge browser, which you can install both on your PC and your phone. Next, check out Reading Supports. There are so many options to facilitate reading in the workplace. A number of years ago now, a group of Microsoft employees got together to hack dyslexia and created Learning Tools, the Immersive Reader. This is available in Edge, in Office, in OneNote, and it allows you to create a personal reading profile with disability support. Increased spacing between words, syllables separated with markers, picture symbol support, and dyslexia friendly color filters, and line focus. It's been huge for us and is now also available in Azure for others to integrate in their technology. Pass it on. Next, check out Editor and Aided Spellchecking. Traditionally, in the past, we've used spellchecking, but today it's more common to use auto-correct. Computers have become so smart they're fixing text as we write. The good news is the tools built into Microsoft Office are also available in your browser. Get the same spelling and grammar support wherever you're typing online. And look out for word and phrase suggestions increasingly being available in online platforms. For example, on LinkedIn, AI suggests options for you to reply to messages. You may think this is neat, but it really supports people who find writing difficult. Then there's dictation, which is a really fast and accurate way to get words down on a page. It's built into Office and Windows and your phone too. If you're working with audio recordings, Word Online also has an amazing transcription service built right in. Emojis are another great way to communicate and part of the modern workplace. If you're on a PC, hit Windows key + period now and access an engaging and fun library of emoticons. Subtitles, these are not just for people who are hard of hearing, they also really help with literacy. Based on an academic study of over 2,000 children, 34% became good readers with schooling alone, but when exposed to 30 minutes a week of subtitled film songs, that proportion more than doubled to 70%. Imagine if we could apply the same methodology to the workplace. You can now turn on subtitles in all recorded video content in the workplace and in live meetings. We live in a world of lifelong learning. Employers recognize that their employees will continuously learn on the job. People change careers far more often than in previous generations. When it comes to cognitive and learning difference and disability, we must focus on educational technology. What are the trends you're seeing in schools? The workplace can learn a lot from this sector. Today's students are tomorrow's employees and colleagues. Wherever possible, we should provide the same support for people transitioning into the workplace. Remember, many people with cognitive disabilities, such as dyslexia, will often be your highest performers when it comes to communication and creativity. If you can remove the barriers they face daily with reading and writing, you will unlock more time for even greater productivity and success.