by James Bird
Deputy Secretary | Disabled Police Association

As part of UK Disability History Month, I wanted to turn the attention onto the often overlooked but profoundly impactful contributions of neurodiversity, in particular dyslexic people throughout history.

Dyslexia, often seen just as a reading difficulty, carries with it an extraordinary strength: the ability to think in three dimensions. This unique cognitive wiring has shaped our world through the revolutionary ideas and innovations of dyslexic minds.

Throughout history, individuals who ‘think differently’ have propelled innovation forward, and their stories reveal the transformative power of dyslexic thinking.

The unseen legacy of dyslexic innovators
For centuries, dyslexic people have faced immense challenges, from a lack of understanding about their differences to societal structures that cater to direct, language-based thinking.

Yet, despite these barriers, dyslexic thinkers have given the world some of the most profound breakthroughs in science, art, and technology, driven by their exceptional visual-spatial reasoning, and an ability to perceive complex relationships between ideas in ways that others cannot.

By using this visualisation to rehearse and imagine success, it gives them an enhanced focus and confidence by picturing themselves achieving these goals.

There are so many incredible, ground-breaking people I could’ve chosen from, but I had to narrow it down, so here are the ones I personally selected.

Albert Einstein: the physics revolutionary
Albert Einstein, one of the most celebrated scientific minds of the 20^th century, had a learning profile often associated with dyslexia. As a child, he struggled with traditional schooling, delayed speech, and difficulty with repetitive memorisation. But his mind was a powerhouse of imagination and three-dimensional visualisation. Einstein described his thought process as deeply intuitive, relying on images rather than words.

This ability to conceptualise abstract theories visually was crucial in developing his theory of relativity, which forever altered our understanding of time and space. Einstein’s visual thinking enabled him to perceive the universe in ways that others couldn’t fathom, proving that the very traits labelled as shortcomings in childhood became the start of a scientific revolution.

Pablo Picasso: master of artistic perception
Art history offers another vivid example of dyslexic brilliance: Pablo Picasso. The Spanish painter and sculptor, considered one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, revolutionised the art world with Cubism. This radical movement broke objects down into geometric shapes, presenting them from multiple perspectives simultaneously. Picasso’s art demonstrated an unusual grasp of three-dimensionality, as he reconstructed how people saw and experienced the world.

His dyslexic mind allowed him to think in shapes and forms rather than in linguistic terms, which directly influenced his ground-breaking artistic techniques. While others perceived reality in flat, conventional ways, Picasso’s neurodivergent brain deconstructed and reimagined it, shifting our entire understanding of visual art.

Salvador Dalí: surrealism and the dyslexic dreamscape
Another giant of artistic innovation, Salvador Dalí, exhibited the signs of dyslexia, evident in his eccentric and highly visual approach to the surreal. Dalí’s paintings, infused with dreamlike distortions and impossible landscapes, captured the fluidity of thought and imagination that dyslexic individuals often experience. He had an extraordinary ability to render vivid, multi-layered scenes that defied logic but communicated profound emotional truths.

Dalí’s dyslexia may have contributed to his surrealist vision, allowing him to connect unequal ideas in ways that others found bewildering but mesmerising. His masterpieces, from ‘The Persistence of Memory’ with its melting clocks to other iconic dreamscapes, revealed the depths of his spatial thinking and his gift for turning intangible concepts into unforgettable visual experiences.

Muhammad Ali: champion of visualisation
Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers in history, was not just a master in the ring but also a master of his own mind. Growing up with undiagnosed dyslexia, Ali struggled academically, often feeling the stigma of being labelled slow or unteachable. Yet, his neurodivergent brain gave him a unique edge: a powerful ability to visualise his success and his strategies vividly. Ali’s dyslexia likely contributed to his exceptional spatial awareness and the way he could mentally rehearse fights, seeing each movement and outcome with striking clarity.

This skill of mental visualisation became one of his most potent weapons. Ali would famously predict his victories in poetic terms, seeing himself defeating his opponents in detail, long before he stepped into the ring. His pre-fight visualisations, combined with his unconventional footwork and fight tactics, allowed him to anticipate and adapt to his opponents’ moves in real time. Ali’s story demonstrates how dyslexic strengths, like vivid imagination and spatial thinking, can fuel extraordinary accomplishments, changing struggles into sources of greatness.

The Wright Brothers: pioneers of flight
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, changed the world with the first successful airplane, and their dyslexic thinking played a pivotal role in this achievement. Struggling with traditional education, they developed exceptional visual-spatial skills, which enabled them to intuitively understand mechanics and aerodynamics. Instead of relying solely on theoretical models, they closely observed the flight patterns of birds and experimented relentlessly, visualising the complexities of flight in three dimensions.

Their breakthrough came with the invention of the three-axis control system: pitch, roll, and yaw, allowing for stable and controlled flight. This innovation laid the groundwork for all future aircraft designs. The Wright brothers’ ability to think dynamically and spatially, combined with their determination, exemplifies how neurodivergent minds can revolutionise entire fields and make the seemingly impossible a reality.

The power of thinking differently
It is not just in art, science, and sports, that dyslexic thinking has changed the world. Thomas Edison, whose dyslexic brain sparked the invention of the light bulb and phonograph, was able to see failure as a series of learning steps, applying his visual-spatial reasoning to experiment creatively. Likewise, Henry Ford revolutionised manufacturing through his assembly line – another innovation embedded in simplifying complex systems into efficient, visually intuitive processes.

In modern times, dyslexic entrepreneurs like Richard Branson and Steve Jobs continued this legacy. Jobs, known for his ability to envision ground-breaking technology, once said: “Creativity is just connecting things.” His dyslexic mind made those connections in ways that others couldn’t, giving birth to the Apple system that has reshaped our digital world.

Why celebrating dyslexic innovators matters
Disability History Month provides an opportunity to celebrate how neurodiversity fuels human progress. Dyslexic individuals are often natural-born innovators, problem-solvers, and creative visionaries. Their three-dimensional thinking drives them to break boundaries, challenge conventions, and bring fresh perspectives to the most complex challenges.

We have much to gain from recognising and nurturing neurodivergent strengths. When given the right tools and environments, dyslexic thinkers can reach their full potential and continue to make world-changing impacts.

The story of dyslexic innovation is testament to the strength of thinking differently.

From Einstein’s universe-altering theories to Picasso’s art that reshaped our visual world, dyslexic individuals continue to illuminate the power of diverse cognitive styles. ∎

by Tracy Betts
President | Disabled Police Association

Since the last AGM in a very rainy Liverpool in 2023, the DPA has spent its time building the Committee to ensure we have good representation in terms of knowledge, lived experience of diverse abilities and also geographically, with our 17 members representing over a third of the forces in England and Wales.

Every one of those committee members has continued to work hard for YOU at all levels of our organisations, reiterating the importance and vitality a diverse workforce brings and championing the work the local Disability and Enable networks do in each force throughout the country.

With the support of our NPCC Lead for Disability, ACO Andrew Price, the DPA has kept abreast of emerging themes in our Forces. We have supported and showcased new support associations, groups and individuals, often with ground-breaking initiatives which demonstrate that wherever possible, keeping our disabled talent within policing benefits everyone, including the public we serve.

Our message is reaching the highest levels: at our DPA meeting in December, the Home Secretary, Rt. Hon. James Cleverley MP, dialled in to thank the DPA Committee personally for the work it is doing.

In the last year, the DPA 12 Point Action Plan has been ratified by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) as ‘good practice’.

The College of Policing (CoP) will be highlighting the DPA 12-Point Plan in its practice bank to support the workplace adjustments toolkit and to help Forces benchmark their progress towards disability inclusion.

DPA work on the national Disability in Policing Survey has begun in earnest, with the NPCC and CoP anxious to use the anonymous data we provide from the survey to work with the DPA in creating a national Disability in Policing strategy, the first in UK policing.

The DPA was recently invited to the Home Office as part of the Deployability Round Table chaired by the Policing Minister, Rt. Hon. Chris Philp, and this was followed up by a series of working groups to discuss the impact of abstractions from frontline policing. I am pleased to report that due to our representations, officers and staff on adjusted duties will no longer automatically be counted as ‘non-deployable’ and are being officially recognised by the Home Office as being extremely valuable to policing.

This recognition and aspects of the DPA 12-Point Plan will be reflected in the next Policing Productivity Review report, due to be published soon.

Of course, we have been remarkably busy with ‘business as usual’ and have continued to work with the other amazing national networks and associations, gaining their expertise and support for our work and theirs, ensuring intersectionality.

As well as all the above, our committee has been working tirelessly as part of the fitness testing working group, the physical demand tactical group and with the Chief Medical Officer, Professor John Harrison at the national Police Wellbeing Service, serving as a ‘critical friend’ on the upcoming guidance for medical standards which will provide much needed clarity and consistency in the assessment of new joiners to policing.

We have been regularly engaging with other partners, such as Supt Paul Burrows, the Police Superintendents Association (PSA) representative for Disability as well as colleagues from the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW).

Most recently we supported the PFEW at the National Ethics Committee, where discussions were held on the impact of some national policies and how they do not always consider how disabled police employees may be disproportionately affected.
We are excited to be partnering with academics at both John Moores Liverpool and Portsmouth Universities to corroborate empirical and anecdotal evidence of ableism with credible research.

This will not only inform and support our organisations to improve in terms of internal culture around diverse ability but also in its service provision to the disabled community.

As promised at our conference, the DPA has submitted Freedom of Information requests to all Forces, including Police Scotland and Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to determine what has been spent on Employment Tribunals over the last four years. Data is already coming in which shows millions of pounds is being spent, sometimes unnecessarily on defending or settling ETs when often, the simplest of measures could have been employed, with people feeling valued, their talent retained, and public money saved.

Therefore, at the next DPA/NPCC National Conference being held on September 30^th and October 1^st 2024 in Leicestershire, we will focus on:

• Getting it Right First Time
• People Before Process
• What Success Looks Like

Building on the findings of the Baroness Casey Review, this conference will help and inspire you to:

• Improve workplace culture
• Build trust and confidence
• Develop psychological safety
• Understand our people
• Increase productivity

Thank you wholeheartedly for your support of the work of the Disabled Police Association. I very much look forward to seeing you at the Conference – look out for your invitation email! ∎

by Tracy Betts
President | Disabled Police Association

Over the past year, the DPA Executive Committee has continued to work tirelessly at national and local levels, reinforcing its legitimacy as an organisation over and over again, demonstrating its credibility as key stakeholders in high level decision making with the Home Office, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing.

In September last year we hosted a joint conference with the NPCC with great success. Delegates from all over the country, representing their networks and Forces were treated to inspirational speakers and a fantastic awards evening, recognising the dedication and commitment of those who strive to make a career in policing and our services accessible to all. The conference theme, ‘Conversations with Confidence’, was so apt given the last few turbulent months we’ve had in policing.

I took over from Simon Nelson on 23^rd November last year and within a couple of weeks, we as the DPA had to challenge the most senior police officer in the country, Sir Mark Rowley, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, regarding media reports in the wake of the interim findings of the Baroness Casey Review.

I’m pleased to say we were invited to meet with the Commissioner in person, and we had a constructive conversation about the way forward. Sir Mark acknowledged that the Met had a lot of work to do and looking again at how his disabled staff and officers were treated were part of these plans.

Now, as the Casey review has been published in full and we all know the content, we as the DPA reinforce our commitment to continue to be the voice for change, and we will work with all Forces to help to achieve equity for all our members.

We will robustly and unapologetically challenge any leader, organisation or culture which fails to stand up to discrimination in whatever form it takes.

We know that the findings of the Casey review are not unique to the Met and because of this, the 12 point Action Plan the DPA set the Metropolitan police will be extended to all Forces.

We will not wait to be invited for our opinion but will be taking the challenge to the doors of Chief Officers.

As well as this level of engagement, the DPA give practical, meaningful support to colleagues, empowering local networks even further. For example, we continue to lead regular support sessions for Forces on how to achieve Level 3 Disability Confident status and deliver workshops and forums for local networks to share best practice. We’ve been key contributors to many important work streams such as the College of Policing Workplace Adjustment Toolkit.

As members of the National Fitness Testing Working group, we have ensured disability-related issues are considered throughout when looking at what our job-related fitness testing should look like.

The DPA has continued to be a main contributor in national programmes for digitally accessible police systems, and also lobbies for greater disability representation as part of the Police Uplift Programme, and now the Stakeholder Engagement Group.

As members of the NPCC DEI Consortium as well as working with the other national networks, trade unions and staff associations, the DPA will continue to embrace the benefits of working in partnership, from the advice and support we gain from the Police Superintendents Association to our NPCC Lead, Chief Constable of North Wales, Amanda Blakeman. To all our partners, we’d like to say Thank You, and we look forward to building stronger links with you all throughout this forthcoming year.

Of course, all this work is being done as well as the day-to-day engagement with colleagues and networks at all levels, remembering that each member of the DPA carries out their responsibilities over and above their day job and – because they are so passionate – often in their own time.

With COVID still very much a threat to the wellbeing of colleagues with compromised immunity, there are still challenges to how we do business and support our members. However, there hasn’t been any let-up in the pace, and as the DPA committee and disabled people often do, they have made it work and delivered time after time.

The DPA will continue to listen to our local disability networks and focus our efforts on those issues that matter most to them.

We have heard that increasing diagnoses of ADHD and the prevalence of this and other neurodivergent conditions continue to be on the increase. Increasing representation in our local networks from the deaf, hard of hearing and visually impaired communities has meant that we now have more opportunity to better understand the challenges of working in the police service and how services are accessed.

We know that the mental health crisis and PTSD is also of significant concern, demonstrated by an alarming increase in the rates of deaths by suicide of our colleagues. We commit to doing all we can to ensure tragedies such as these are always kept in the consciousness of the decision makers.

It’s also important we look at the medical requirements for new joiners as well the pension implications that go alongside them. This includes the cross-cultural implications for people with certain conditions, automatically ruling some out of a career as police officers.

Continuing to focus on our built environment is vital – it’s 2023, but our staff are still not able to move easily about our police estates. We must increase our efforts to ensure that everyone can access everywhere at work.

Accurate data collection is key, and we will be continuing to put pressure on those who collate workforce data: making sure they ask the right questions, sharing that information in an open and transparent way to highlight themes and trends, and holding to account those who don’t comply.

Although anecdotal evidence is important, we cannot begin to tackle the issues effectively without the facts to back those lived experiences up. We already know – and this has been borne out by the Baroness Casey review – that the way we do business inside our organisations has a direct correlation with the quality of the service we deliver to the public.

To that end, our 2023 conference, which will be held on 20^th and 21^st September in Hinckley, Leicestershire will reflect this. This year’s theme is ‘Valuing our People’ – our conference will help and inspire all delegates to:

• Improve community cohesion and build strong, happy, safe, and inclusive environments together
• Recruit, retain and progress our talent by listening, empowering, and championing people with diverse abilities
• Improve our procurement processes and understand the importance of accessible technology in building an inclusive culture
• Release capacity and become better at preventing and detecting crime and keeping people safe

We look forward to seeing you there – more information will be posted soon.

Here’s to the next 12 months. ∎