Unlike physical ailments, learning disabilities often go undetected because they are hard to see and many people do not understand the signs. They also differ from person to person, so two people can have the same disability, but different challenges. Learning disabilities can affect a someone’s listening, speaking, reading, writing and/or mathematics skills. As many as 1 out of 5 people in the United States has a learning disability. It is estimated that 27% of children with learning disabilities drop out of high school, creating a need to address learning disabilities in adult learners. This fall, Florida Literacy Coalition is hosting a series of professional development workshops focused on Learning Disabilities. Here are a few words from one of our facilitators, Roberta Reiss.
“Over the years I have worked with hundreds of capable and well-trained literacy tutors. One refrain I heard quite often was, “I can’t help you with an adult learner with learning disabilities. I just don’t have the expertise.” It turns out that working with a learner with a reading or writing disability involves easy comprehension strategies that are just “good teaching”. The FLC’s upcoming events on Learning to Achieve, a program based on the latest research, are designed to help volunteer tutors understand Learning Disabilities, learn about the legal protection offered those who have these disabilities, and examine teaching strategies that have proven success. Of course, no one is expected to diagnose a disability or offer legal advice, but the program lays a great foundation for understanding the rights of adult learners with LD and seeing why the strategies work. I hope you can attend one of the several sessions held around the state, and would love to see you at one of mine!
In the meantime, here are a couple of interesting websites to take a look at:
http://www.ncld.org
http://ldonline.org”
Hopefully you will be able to join us this fall at one of the statewide workshops. Click here for a full listing of locations and program descriptions.
