Dyslexia Awareness Week 2025

Each year, in early October, Dyslexia Awareness Week presents a powerful opportunity to spotlight dyslexia, not only to educate, but also to drive real, lasting change. In 2025, Dyslexia Awareness Week will run from 6 to 12 October (in England and Wales) under the theme “Raising the Volume”. This year, organisers are urging us to amplify the voices of young people with dyslexia: to listen, to learn, and to act.

In this blog, Anna Nova Galeon will define dyslexia, examine why awareness matters in highly regulated organisations, explore legal and practical imperatives, and suggest how regulated sectors can embed sustainable change, beyond a one-week campaign.

What is Dyslexia - and what isn’t it?

Dyslexia is a specific learning difference (or “specific learning difficulty” in UK parlance), affecting how people process written and sometimes spoken language. It is neither a measure of intelligence nor a learning preference. Instead, it is a neurological difference in the way the brain processes phonology, orthography, decoding, working memory, and sometimes processing speed.

Key characteristics commonly (but not universally) include difficulties with:

• Recognising and decoding written words

• Spelling and accurate sequencing of letters or sounds

• Working memory and holding information while processing

• Reading fluency (speed) and consistency

• Organising written output and planning extended writing tasks

• Processing multi-step written instructions.

Because dyslexia lies on a continuum, the severity and specific pattern vary widely between individuals. Some individuals are mildly affected, while others may face profound challenges in academic or workplace tasks.

At the same time, people with dyslexia often bring unique strengths, including strong visual or spatial reasoning, pattern recognition, creative or big-picture thinking, intuition, problem-solving skills, and resilience in navigating challenges. 

It’s essential to dispel myths such as:

• “Dyslexia is just seeing letters backwards.”

• “You can’t succeed if you have dyslexia.”

• “It always requires a formal diagnosis to support someone.”

These are misleading or wrong and perpetuate stigma.

Why awareness matters - Especially for highly regulated organisations

In sectors such as finance, pharmaceuticals, energy, healthcare, legal, or defence, compliance, precision, and documentation are core to operations. The risk of error, non-conformity or miscommunication is high. At the same time, the workforce is diverse and includes individuals with neurodivergent traits like dyslexia.

Here’s why dyslexia awareness matters deeply in regulated settings:

• Risk of hidden barriers and errors. Written instructions, regulatory manuals, forms or complex documentation can present obstacles for dyslexic employees. Errors may occur, not due to a lack of competence, but because of cognitive processing challenges

• Regulatory obligations and equality law. Under the UK’s Equality Act 2010, a person with dyslexia may be considered disabled if their condition has a substantial and long-term effect on day-to-day activities (e.g. reading, writing). In that case, the organisation is legally obligated to make reasonable adjustments and must not discriminate against individuals. Even where an individual may not meet the legal threshold, inclusive practices are increasingly expected under good governance, ESG, DE&I policy and regulatory expectations

• Employee engagement, retention and reputation. Organisations seen as inclusive attract and retain talent. In regulated sectors where trust and integrity are paramount, inclusive reputations foster greater confidence among stakeholders

• Operational resilience and clarity. Adjustments made for dyslexic employees often benefit all staff; more precise documentation, better layout, redundant checks and clarity in communication can reduce errors and improve overall quality

• Audit, oversight and regulatory scrutiny. Internal and external audits may review Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) practices. Organisations may be asked how they support neurodiversity or ensure fairness in recruitment, training, and performance management

• Futureproofing in a changing regulatory landscape. Regulatory bodies are increasingly attentive to inclusion, accessibility, and digital equality. Building practice around dyslexia positions an organisation to meet evolving standards.

Hence, Dyslexia Awareness Week is not just a moral or cultural initiative; it’s a strategic touchpoint for embedding equitable practice in regulated organisations.

From awareness to action - Practical steps for regulated organisations

To make a real impact, organisations must move beyond token gestures. Below are the eight roadmaps of steps that regulated organisations can take, particularly during and following Dyslexia Awareness Week, to embed sustainable and compliant inclusive practices:

1. Internal awareness and training sessions

Use DAW25 to host webinars, lunch-and-learn sessions, or panel talks on dyslexia. Include real stories (with consent) from employees. Ensure all managers (including compliance, HR, operations) understand what dyslexia is, its challenges and strengths, and how to engage compassionately.

2. Review recruitment and assessment practices

Many regulated roles require tests, written assessments, or psychometric instruments. Audit whether those tools are dyslexia-friendly (e.g. allowing extra time, offering alternative formats, providing read-aloud or screen-reader support). Check that job descriptions do not penalise reasonable spelling or grammar in non-core tasks.

3. Audit policies and handbooks

Ensure equality, reasonable adjustments, neurodiversity and inclusion policies explicitly mention dyslexia. Provide clear channels and guidelines for employees to disclose and request adjustments confidentially.

4. Reasonable adjustments and accommodations

These do not have to be expensive. Examples include:

• Providing text-to-speech or speech-to-text software

• Allowing extra time for written reporting tasks

• Offering templates or checklists

• Allowing oral or visual briefing rather than relying solely on dense text

• Using dyslexia-friendly fonts (e.g. sans-serif types, increased line spacing)

• Supplying printed materials in alternative formats

• Providing meeting materials in advance

• Using structured feedback and review cycles

• Pairing writing tasks with peer review or proofreading support.

Crucially, adjustments should be individualised, regularly reviewed, and not rigidly fixed.

5. Embed into compliance and quality frameworks

Incorporate checks into internal audits, quality management systems, and risk assessments. For example, when reviewing document control or standard operating procedures, check readability, layout, version control and whether neurodiverse users were considered.

6. Feedback and continuous review

Use surveys or pulse checks to ask employees whether adjustments are working. Conduct periodic reviews to confirm or revise accommodations as needed, document what was agreed, review dates, and responsibilities.

7. Visibility and role modelling

Encourage senior leadership to support dyslexia and neurodiversity publicly. Share success stories (with consent) of employees thriving due to accommodations. Use internal communications to normalise diversity of learning, not just once a year but throughout.

8. Use Dyslexia Awareness Week as a launch point

Start with visible activity during DAW25,  poster campaigns, internal newsletters, and themed content, but commit to a 12-month journey. For example:

• October - Awareness blitz

• November - December - Policy reviews and training

• Jan - March - Implementation of assistive tools

• Mid-year - Audit & feedback review

• Next October - Evaluate progress and relaunch.

As one commentary puts it, awareness must lead to action, not fade away with the week.

Key challenges and mitigations in regulated environments

When applying these steps in regulated organisations, a few tensions may arise:

• Confidentiality and disclosure - Some employees may be reluctant to self-disclose. Mitigation: Ensure safe and confidential channels (e.g., occupational health, trusted HR liaison) and emphasise non-retaliation.

• Standardisation vs individualisation - Highly regulated roles require strict processes, but accommodations must be flexible. Mitigation: build adjustable layers (e.g. core standards + “exception lanes”) and document all modifications robustly.

• Cost pressures and return on investment - Some may question the value of spending on assistive tools. Mitigation: Emphasise that many adjustments are low-cost or free, and productivity gains, retention, risk reduction, and compliance pay dividends.

• Perceived fairness - Other employees may feel preferential treatment is unfair. Mitigation: frame adjustments not as favouritism, but as enabling equitable access to the same standards. Promote understanding across the team.

• Audit and evidencing - Regulators or internal audit may demand proof. Mitigation: maintain a clear record of requests, reviews, revisions, communications and outcomes.

By foregrounding dyslexia inclusion within existing compliance, quality and governance frameworks, the organisation can treat it as integral, not optional.

Measuring success & impact

To ensure momentum and accountability, consider tracking:

• Number of employees disclosing dyslexia or requesting accommodations

• Uptake of assistive tools or software

• Qualitative feedback from accommodated employees

• Changes in error rates, rework or document non-conformities

• Staff satisfaction, retention and engagement metrics

• Audit findings related to inclusion or accessibility

• Training completion rates

• Policy updates and procedural revisions.

These metrics help show not just that the organisation said it cares, but that it acted and evolved.

In summary

Dyslexia Awareness Week 2025, with its theme “Raising the Volume”, invites us to move past surface-level gestures and truly amplify the voices of those living with dyslexia. In highly regulated organisations, this is not a soft ideal - it is a practical, strategic imperative.

Understanding dyslexia, fulfilling equality duties, embedding adjustments into policy and process, ensuring continuous feedback, and aligning inclusion with compliance frameworks create a virtuous cycle: one that upholds integrity, boosts performance, and honours the full diversity of talent.

Take the next step - Build inclusive compliance with ComplyPlus™

This Dyslexia Awareness Week, make inclusion more than an intention; make it a measurable part of your compliance culture. Every regulated organisation has a duty to create environments where all employees, including those with dyslexia, can thrive.

At The Mandatory Training Group, we specialise in supporting organisations to translate awareness into action. Our accredited eLearning, policy frameworks, and leadership programmes help embed equality, diversity, and accessibility into every layer of governance and workforce practice.

To take this further, explore ComplyPlus™ - our integrated compliance management system that connects policies and procedures, training, and audit trails in one powerful platform. With ComplyPlus™, you can track your inclusion efforts, automate reminders, evidence adjustments, and demonstrate accountability to regulators and stakeholders alike.