Removing disabling barriers in policing: Dyslexia and literacy difficulties in the police service
| Published date | 01 December 2020 |
| Date | 01 December 2020 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X19862008 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Removing disabling barriers
in policing: Dyslexia
and literacy difficulties
in the police service
Stephen J Macdonald
School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Education and Society, University
of Sunderland, Sunderland, UK
Faye Cosgrove
Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Education and Society,
University of Sunderland, Sunderland, UK
Abstract
The aim of this article is to explore the impact of dyslexia, self-identified dyslexia and
literacy difficulties on police officers/civilian employees. The study employs a social
model approach which advocates that problems associated with dyslexia are not due to
an impairment effect but can be attributed to a lack of reasonable adjustment due to
disabling environmental barriers. The methodology applies a quantitative approach that
analyses the impact that dyslexia/literacy difficulties have on policing. The authors sug-
gest that with minor adjustments to working environments, police organisations can
foster an inclusive rather than exclusive occupational environment.
Keywords
Dyslexia, social model, quantitative methodology, literacy difficulties
Introduction
This study investigates the impact that dyslexia has on serving police employees working
in the North of England. The research explores to what extent dyslexia/literacy
Corresponding author:
Stephen J Macdonald, School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Education and Society, University of Sunderland,
The Reg Vardy Centre, St Peter’s Way, Sunderland SR6 0DD, UK.
Email: stephen.j.macdonald@sunderland.ac.uk
The Police Journal:
Theory, Practice and Principles
2020, Vol. 93(4) 332–352
ªThe Author(s) 2019
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DOI: 10.1177/0032258X19862008
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difficulties affect individuals curre ntly employed as civilians and operation al police
officers. This article will commence by discussing the diagnostic label of dyslexia in
order to conceptualise how the condition might affect serving police officers within the
United Kingdom. This will examine key symptoms/traits which may impact on opera-
tional duties within a police force that expects increasingly high levels of literacy skills
from its employees. The authors will discuss different models of disability within the
academic literature and apply the social model to interpret the data findings to concep-
tualise disability and dyslexia from a barrier-based approach.
A quantitative approach has been used in this study, but the authors have been
significantly influenced by the qualitative work of Andy Hill (2013) who studied the
lived experiences of operational officers with dyslexia. The findings section illustrates
key disabling barriers with reference to under-diagnosis, disclosure of dyslexia and
operational barriers which affect police employees within this research. The study advo-
cates that all police recruits coming into the service should be screened for dyslexia.
Where the condition is identified, tailor-made interventions, which may include the use
of assistive technologies and support networks, need to be developed within the police
service to create inclusive environments. By doing so, combined with broader awareness
campaigns, this will maximise the contribution and well-being of police staff with a
range of learning abilities.
Understanding dyslexia and associated literacy difficulties
Within the United Kingdom, it is estimated that dyslexia affects approximately 4–8%
of the general population (Peterson and Pennington, 2012; Semple and Smyth, 2013;
Snowling, 2000; Snowling and Maughan, 2006). The National Institute for Health
Care Excellence defines dyslexia as a neurodevelopmental condition which results in
problems associated with visual, reading and spelling accuracy and comprehension.
Developmental dyslexia is experienced on a continuum where individuals are
affected in a multitude of different ways ranging from mild, moderate and severe
effects which impact on daily activities (Peterson and Pennington, 2012). Tradition-
ally, the condition has been associated with childhood development. Previous
assumptions were made that children would grow out of these developmental diffi-
culties that were thought to be primarily experienced in an educational environment
(Snowling, 2000). Yet contemporary research conducted on adults has confirmed that
dyslexia is a lifelong condition which has a significant impact in adult life, particu-
larly affecting employment (Bartlett and Moody, 2010; Macdonald, 2009; Peterson
and Pennington, 2012). Although a number of dyslexia definitions exist nationally
and globally, the UK Government in 2008 commissioned an independent review led
by Sir Jim Rose into the condition. ‘The Rose Report’ (Rose, 2009) offers the
following definition:
Dyslexia is a [specific ] learning difficulty th at primarily affects the s kills involved in
accurate and fluent word reading and spelling. Characteristic features of dyslexia are dif-
ficulties 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
Macdonald and Cosgrove 333
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