What Happens When Dyslexic People Retire Regarding Dyslexia And Employment?

Here at Succeed With Dyslexia, we talk a lot about dyslexia and employment, including how it affects job interviews, workplace dyslexia training, and things like advancement and promotion. The last ten years have been a time when employment has opened up for neurodivergent talent because these are essential dialogues that people all across the world are having. More people with dyslexia are advancing into fulfilling occupations and feeling appreciated.

What about the other extreme of the spectrum?

The employment tales surrounding dyslexia frequently centre on entering the workforce. The topic of when we're ready to leave it—when we're ready to stop working and retire—doesn't get much attention in the current conversation. But every year, an increasing number of dyslexic people prepare to leave the workforce, and they are largely a lost demographic to many of our online discussions on dyslexia and employment.

How did you manage your dyslexia and employment recently?

The relationship between dyslexia and work for retirees in 2023 might have been a little rocky. Reading discrepancies were probably perceived at best as a visual or learning deficiency and at worst as laziness or even a personal failure because dyslexia wasn't well known or even really discussed.

The move from manual and retail jobs to corporate and clerical jobs for this generation of employees may have needed to be improved by reading differences, which could have complicated career advancement or earning potential. Dyslexia probably also affected how well they did in school, making it harder for them to get good grades and enrol in university.

How does having dyslexia, low literacy, and a job affect you?

These statistics can at least give us an understanding of the career course for those older dyslexic individuals who may not have received the diagnosis and support they needed to thrive, even though it's not always accurate to equate dyslexia with low literacy. Some people with dyslexia are frequent readers with strong literacy skills, and not everyone with low literacy has dyslexia. For more information about dyslexia treatments, visit Tomatis®.