That anyone can have a learning disability and that does not mean you are not smart.
We can not forget that there are lots of examples of people with learning disabilities; Einstein is perhaps the most famous of them. It is true that the school system of the time greatly underestimated him, and he excelled more at math AFTER he came up with the basics of Relativity, because he realized he needed to master mathematics to work out all the implications.
Having lived with LD, I can relate to these students at a level that helps pull the best out of the student. I have had to do much of the self advocacy. I have learned more about the science behind diagnosis and also more about how we can accomodate
self advocacy is important.
I believe that post-secondary institutions should counsel students with learning disabilities as far as the direction they should go with a career. I do not believe that students that struggle in certain areas due to learning disabilities should be given false hope that they may be successful in a career that requires them to do things they are not capable of.
The difference between accommodations and modifications was my biggest takeaway. The statistics on postsecondary teachers and even worse employers who go unaware of students and employees who are in need of accommodations was alarming and sad at an equal level.
All people can be intelligent in their own way. Accommodations and modifications can assist people with disabilities to be success but yet complete tasks.
Students with disabilities, whether they receive accommodations or not, should be learning how to advocate for themselves from a young age. This requires the support, instruction, and feedback from parents and teachers, so that the students can have lifelong success through secondary and post-secondary education.
I think the thing to keep in mind is that being successful in the workforce is a major life step for students with disabilities. And we have to help them discover ways to achieve that success. We have to support the way they learn and help them achieve their career goals while providing the stepping stones they need for true learning.
It is so sad that a lot of people were not aware of accommodations when they were in school. their adult lives would be more fulfilling.
People with disabilities are intelligent to.
Accommodations and modifications are instructional supports that help students with learning disabilities to be successful in their classes and to move forward in achieving their career goals.
As an instructor, if I am aware that a student has a learning disability, I would try to be accommodating, if time allowed. We still have a class to teach and there are other students that perform at different levels.
I learned that an accommodation doesn't mean giving the student with a disability an advantage because it doesn't change the integrity of the task or learning they have to achieve.
Having disability does not change that the students willingness to learn it is just. They need help in some area to help them understand the content.
All types of students can have learning disabilities. It is important that they have them addressed early to ease delayed learning concepts.
I was interested in how most workplace setting will not provide modifications for their employees and it made me think about what can be done to better help these learners as they transition from school to work.
I learned that 33% of people with learning disabilities have above-average intelligence, with the remainder of individuals having average intelligence.
One thought I'm having is that a common accommodation I see in IEPs is extended time for assignments, which allows students to turn work in late without penalty. I think this is an appropriate accommodation and I have seen many students succeed in a class because of that added flexibility. My wondering is, in preparing students for the expectations of post-secondary or entering the workforce, how can instructors work to gradually diminish the accommodations in preparation for the student to stay organized and manage time without them.
After secondary education, those with learning disabilities need to advocate for themselves, not just for education urposes but also during job applications.
