480 caseworkers, $450k fines: 6 questions answered

480 new caseworkers. That's the size of the hiring push behind Access to Work's backlog plan. The target date is September 2027 (National Audit Office, 2026). It's real progress. It's just not fast progress. Five full articles published this week. Plus one number that never made it into print on its own. Below are six questions dyslexic employees asked, answered straight. Each ends with a next step you can take today.

How long is the Access to Work backlog in 2026?

Average processing time hit 109 days in November 2025. That's up from 66 days in 2024-25. It was 28 days back in 2020-21 (National Audit Office, 2026).

66,000 applications were waiting for a decision in March 2026. That's up from 21,700 in March 2022 (Public Accounts Committee, 12 June 2026).

The DWP is hiring 480 new caseworkers. That's a 72% staffing increase. The goal is to clear the backlog by September 2027 (National Audit Office, 2026).

That's a target, not a guarantee. The same report found the system is still inefficient. The backlog won't shrink without more budget or better process.

Urgent cases still move fast. Start a job within four weeks, and you get a decision within 28 days. That's through the Tech Fund. Everyone else waits behind a much longer queue.

If Access to Work rejects your claim, ask for a review by a different adviser. There is no formal appeal route. But the DWP complaints process covers cases where the service itself let you down.

Don't wait for a decision before your employer acts. Ask your employer to pay for a low-cost adjustment now through Access to Work. Claim the money back once it's approved.

What's the cheapest dictation tool for dyslexia at work?

Windows 11's Voice Typing (Win+H) is free. So is Google Docs Voice Typing. Neither needs an extra download, checked August 2026. They handle everyday emails and documents well, straight out of the box.

Dragon Anywhere costs $14.99 a month. Dragon Professional 16 costs $699 as a one-time licence. Both beat the free tools on technical jargon and specialist vocabulary.

UK employees can usually get Access to Work to cover the full Dragon cost. In the US, check your employer's tech budget first. It may already cover dictation software.

Start with the free option already on your laptop. Only pay for Dragon once the free tools keep failing on your own vocabulary.

Should I disclose dyslexia before a promotion interview?

Check for a timed exam, assessment centre, or panel test first. If one exists, disclose before that date, in writing. This matters whether you work in the UK or the US. UK and US law both cover promotion tests. They don't just cover the finished job (Paterson v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, EAT, 2007).

In that case, a dyslexic police Chief Inspector was denied extra time for a promotion test. The tribunal ruled that promotion exams are covered by the law, just like any other work task.

Most promotions have no formal test. Treat those like a normal disclosure decision instead. The disclosure decision guide walks through the timing question step by step.

Check the promotion process for a written or timed test first. If one exists, that test date, not the announcement date, is your real deadline.

Can my employer refuse a reasonable accommodation for dyslexia?

Three 2026 EEOC settlements show what happens when they try. Geisinger Health paid $450,000 in February. Peak Performers paid $160,000 in January. Lori's Gifts paid $600,000 later in the year.

None involved a flat "no". Each employer skipped the talk about what would actually help.

That talk has a name: the interactive process. It's a legal must under the ADA, not a courtesy. Ignoring a request is just as risky as saying no outright.

Most dyslexic employees never ask for adjustments at all. Not because they don't need them. They just don't know how to start. The reasonable adjustments builder turns your challenges into a written request in about two minutes.

Keep a written trail from the first ask. An email naming a specific fix beats a verbal chat you and your manager will remember differently.

Name the specific task and the accommodation you need, in writing. Keep any reply. An EEOC charge is generally due within 180 to 300 days of a refusal.

How do I take meeting minutes if I'm dyslexic?

You process speech at around 150 words a minute. By hand, most people write at 20 to 25 words a minute (NCVS; Rentmytime.co.uk, August 2026). Live minute-taking asks for four times normal writing speed. That's a mismatch, not a skill gap.

Record the meeting instead of writing live. Then run a three-pass system. First, turn the recording into rough notes. Next, sort those notes into decisions and actions, in about 15 minutes. Last, check the result against the agenda.

Check your workplace's recording policy before you start. Most allow it once you tell the room. A few need written consent first. This works whether you chair the meeting or just sit in it.

Reassigning this task is a standard reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010 in the UK. In the US, it's a standard reasonable accommodation under the ADA. It's not a favor, and it needs no diagnosis attached.

Ask for formal note-taking to be reassigned as a standard workplace adjustment, not a personal favor.

Is architecture a hard career for dyslexic employees?

About a third of architects' insurance claims trace back to design defects. Most are drawing and specification mistakes, not incompetence (Willis/WTW, August 2025). Four tasks carry the most risk for a dyslexic architect: specification writing, drawing checks, technical reports, and client emails.

Each has a low-cost fix. Use a locked spec template. Add a second-reader step. Build in advance reading time. Pause before sending emails. None of this needs you to tell anyone about dyslexia.

A spec document can feel too big to start. The task breakdown planner turns it into a short list of first steps. It takes about a minute to try.

RIBA says dyslexia may be more common in architecture. The wider population estimate is roughly 1 in 10. RIBA admits no formal survey confirms this, only anecdote across the profession (RIBA Knowledge, October 2025).

Access to Work can also fund assistive software, such as Dragon, for architects who need it. That's the same funding route covered in this week's dictation question above.

Build a second-reader step into your drawing checks before you need it. Don't wait for a costly mistake to reach a client.

What this means for you

The pattern across all six answers is the same. Access to Work's backlog, an EEOC settlement, a promotion test date: each one moves on its own schedule. Your next step doesn't have to wait for any of them.

A written request. A free download. A reassigned task. Each one is something you can start today, on your own. It doesn't matter what your employer's queue looks like.

If you only take one thing from this week, take this. Check a number before you use it in a hard conversation with HR. Every figure above has a source and a date attached. That's what makes it useful. Small steps beat waiting for a perfect moment.

Pick the question above that matches your week, and take the recommended next step today.