This study aims to investigate how students with dyslexia experience the teaching of social studies in upper secondary school, and how they actively participate on basis of democratic values. The research is based on a qualitative interview study that forms the basis of the empirical material. The term democratic capacity is used as an analytical tool in the study. The results shows that students with dyslexia experience challenges in reading, conceptual understanding and an uncertainty regarding participation in discussions in the subject of social studies. Furthermore, it shows that dyslexics experience anxiety and inferior self-confidence to participate in some areas of the social studies. This results in a lesser degree of democratic capacity.