Key learning points:
1.The impact of dyslexia on someone’s life
2.The value of neurodiversity in your organisation
3.The benefits of making websites accessible for everyone
Today on the podcast we’re delighted to be joined by Ross Linnett, CEO at Recite Me, a company creating inclusive online experiences through its web accessibility plugin software. We're hear Ross’ story, including the impact that his late dyslexia diagnosis had on his journey, and discuss how companies in financial services and beyond can deliver a more inclusive digital customer experience.
We first chat about how Ross’ undiagnosed dyslexia impacted his school life. Ross was very confident but hated reading aloud to his classmates and wasn’t performing in exams. Ross asked his teachers if he was dyslexic and was dismissed. He thought ‘I must just be a bit thick!’
Ross then tells us how he made his life choices around dyslexia, picking electrical engineering, despite not having a passion for it. He eventually got tested after a friend noticed he was showing signs of dyslexia.
Ross explains that we are all on a neurodiverse scale, with Autism and Asperger’s on one side, dyslexia on the other and non-dyslexic people in between. He reminds us that the world is mostly built for neurotypical people, but having a dyslexic brain can be a superpower in itself. Whilst neurotypical brains can only process one or two streams of information at the same time, dyslexic people can handle four or five. Ross reminds us that dyslexia is about the brain performing differently, despite being labelled as a disability. He tells us that The World Health Organisation thinks that 10-15% of the western population is dyslexic, but it could be as high as 25%!
Ross then tells us about how he became President of his Student Union where his abilities could shine.: ‘I got into running a £3 million business when I was 22’. He even pitched into the white paper for the Disability Discrimination Act. Before this, it was up to disabled people, not employers, to make necessary adjustments.
We then asked Ross about how his experiences led to founding Recite Me. After his diagnosis, accessibility software was a game-changer. Being able to have text read out aloud and change background page colour would allow him to stay switched on and work faster for longer. To make websites more accessible, Ross started Recite Me. Tools like text-to-speech, magnification, dyslexia-friendly fonts help his clients (including Boots and Tesco Bank) make their sites more readable for all. Ross tells us that these systems don’t just benefit dyslexics – everyone has their own combination of background colour, font and text colour that can make the work up to 20-25% faster. That’s why Ross believes that digital accessibility tools should be as common as a wheelchair ramp.
We then talk about the need for accessibility in financial services. Ross reminds us that we must read lots of legalese on websites. He questions how well companies could enforce a contract if someone couldn’t properly absorb that information. Walls of text like policy documents can easily make him bored – so he often leaves buying his insurance right to the last minute.
Ross warns us that the biggest impact on a dyslexic’s life can be the resistance of systems. Where something, like education, hasn’t worked for someone, they either design a system for themselves or reject it. He tells us that a study of a prison’s population revealed that 85% of the inmates were dyslexic. He urges people to get tested if they believe they are dyslexic.
Finally, we ask what non-dyslexic people can do to help, as community members and employers. Ross hopes that neurodiverse conditions are seen less as disabilities but more for their advantages in teams, such as their analytical and memory skills. He wants this to be as universal as having gender diversity in modern organisations.