Canadian Occupational Safety

August/September 2016 23 employees understand what is being provided," says Neilson. Typically, workers are required to respond to writ- ten questions to demonstrate understanding, which will be challenging for individuals with dyslexia, for example. An auditory approach may be helpful in this case. "If you have that person hear something and give it to them in an auditory format where they can follow it and then ask them to answer the questions, they will often do very, very well," says Barbetta. "It's the modality in which you present the information that is the barrier." There are many ways to complete post-evaluation exercises, says Neilson, including asking questions in a team or group. After orientation and training have been updated, safety documents need to be revis- ited to ensure they are friendly to people with learning disabilities. OC Transpo took its emergency response manual and switched it from a typical thick booklet to a fl ow chart with colour and shape. This is not only better for individuals with learning disabilities, but it is also easier for all employees. "It is quicker and easier to sit and look at a fl ow chart. If this happens, here are your options, plan A, B or C. We took a lot of text away and we just put the information in a different format for individ- uals to quickly look at it and process. And it didn't compro- mise the information at all," says Barbetta, who worked with OC Transpo on this initiative. Under human rights leg- islation across Canada, an employer must accom- modate an employee with a disability — which includes learning disabilities — up to the point of undue hardship. Some accommodations individuals with learning disabilities might need include voice-to-text software, information being given to them in audio format and computer programs that help with spelling, punctua- tion and editing. "The reality is with a person with a learning dis- ability, the average accommodation is under $500," says Barbetta. "So it is a very diffi cult argument to make that you cannot accommodate a person." Employees may need extra time for tasks, a quiet room to work alone or one-on-one coaching. PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY People with learning disabilities face stigma in the workplace due to many misconceptions around the disability. "They often are articulate, smart, out- wardly-looking, competent people but they really struggle with character assassination: lazy, not trying, not focused, doesn't seem to care — and none of that is often very true," says Barbetta. "Before (managers) go down a disciplinary path or pass judgment, they fi rst need to see if there is something else going on." One way to address the stigma is to provide awareness training to senior leaders, managers and supervisors. "(They need) a good understanding of how people tick," says Neilson. "If we were well-educated in regards to disabilities, mental illness, you would see a much different approach." According to the 2007 Putting a Canadian Face on Learning Disabilities study, persons with learning disabilities were more than twice as likely to report high levels of distress, depression, anxiety disorders, suicidal thoughts, visits to a mental health profes- sional and poorer overall mental health compared to persons without disabilities. "Mental health and learning disabilities, they are very, very close cousins," says Barbetta. "Some people... have been exposed to a lot of failure, a lot of embarrassment, humiliation." Anxiety is known to be a big part of the learning disability profi le, added Barbetta. "It starts young when you go into a system that evaluates and assesses you on how well you read and how quickly you can read. That's how we mea- sure intelligence in the education system and that is something adults carry with them their whole life." OC Transpo is sensitive to the fact that workers with learning disabilities are at a greater risk for mental health issues. To address this, and other issues employees may be facing, the transit operator has established a peer support network that provides confi dential, one-on-one support. Peer supporters are trained in active listening, psychological fi rst aid and critical incident support. "Often when someone has a learning disability, the stress may be overwhelming at times or they may want to disclose or speak to someone in a safe, con- fi dential situation," says Davis. The most important thing employers can do is create a culture where employees feel they can dis- close their learning disability. People in positions of authority need to be educated on the fact that they will always have a percentage of workers with a learning disability in their workforce, says Barbetta. "It's a cultural piece in an organization. There's no ifs, ands or buts about it," she says. "Do employees feel emotionally safe to go to a manager and at some point say, 'I am going to need more time to do this and this is why'?" Changing the curriculum to one that was friendly for workers with learning disabilities did not just happen overnight at OC Transpo. It took time for everyone to get on board and embrace change and then to work out how to design the curriculum and make sure the instructors had all the appropriate training, says Davis. But they are reminded that all the extra work was well worth it when individuals with learning disabilities successfully complete the program. At a new bus operator graduation ceremony in June, one trainee spoke about how he was extremely nervous when he fi rst started because he had a learning disability. He decided to disclose his disability and from then on, the instructor checked on him everyday and gave him the additional support he needed. "He said he had made it because of the instructor's support. He actually cried when he was speaking and everyone in the room applauded him — and some of us cried, too," says Davis. "With all the sup- ports we have in place, it's every day business; it's what we do. We want them to drive that bus safely and deliver excellent customer service and that's the focus to get them there." There are various forms of learning disabilities that you may encounter among your workforce. While the most common are reading, math and writing, other types of learning disabilities involve diffi culties with motor skills (movement and co-ordination), understanding spoken language, distinguishing between sounds and interpreting visual information. • READING (dyslexia): There are two types of learning disabilities in reading. Basic reading problems occur when there is diffi culty understanding the relationship between sounds, letters and words. Reading comprehension problems occur when there is an inability to grasp the meaning of words, phrases and paragraphs. • MATH (dyscalculia): Learning disabilities in math vary greatly depending on individual strengths and weaknesses. A individual's ability to do math will be affected differently by a language learning disability, a visual disorder or diffi culty with sequencing, memory or organization. Individuals with a math-based learning disorder may struggle with memorization and organization of numbers, operation signs and number facts. • WRITING (dysgraphia): Learning disabilities in writing can involve the physical act of writing or the mental activity of comprehending and synthesizing information. Basic writing disorder refers to physical diffi culty forming words and letters. Expressive writing disability indicates a struggle to organize thoughts on paper. Source: Helpguide.org and deliver excellent customer service and that's the There are various forms of learning disabilities that you may encounter among your workforce. While the most common are reading, math and writing, other types of learning disabilities involve diffi culties with motor skills (movement and co-ordination), understanding spoken language, There are various forms of learning disabilities that you may encounter among your workforce. While the most common are reading, math and writing, other types of learning disabilities involve diffi culties with motor skills (movement and co-ordination), understanding spoken language,

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