Return-Path: <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id eAEHJU903704; Tue, 14 Nov 2000 12:19:40 -0500 (EST) Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2000 12:19:40 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <004301c04e5e$d479ac50$04377780@bio006> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Cheryl Howland <cherylh@library.umass.edu> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-LD:3257] RE: Help with College Prep Skills X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.72.3110.5 Status: O Content-Length: 9574 Lines: 238 I think that the biggest issue that college students face beyond what you have all expressed is a developmental one. Eighteen ( or so)year olds go through a pretty rigorous process of self-differentiation in their first year of college. They finalize the separation of their self identity from those of the influential adults in their lives. This process mixed with the pressures of new found freedom and it's attendant self responsibilities can create tremendous difficulties for students with NO LD issues. Add to that a need for this student to begin self advocating with often hostile faculty. Such self advocacy can involve many difficult adult skills such as teaching, training, explaining the intricacies of individual strengths and weaknesses and establishing appropriate boundaries with individuals in a position of power who are working with a (Socratic) method of individual proof of competence thorough competition. Given this, students with learning disability and attentional issues who really DO NOT KNOW THEMSELVES YET, can become easily overwhelmed with these seemingly gargantuan tasks. It can be hard for an adult- who has already gone through adolescence and is comfortable in adulthood and who has passed successfully through a process of identity development around his or her disability. For a student- 18 or so to be asked to do this- well nuff said. I have long believed that a supportive community or small college atmosphere is essential for most folks with LD to spend their first two years. A COMMUNITY where one can self differentiate and receive positive support can often offer the necessary external environment for a successful college experience Even a workplace community in a large college can provide this kind of support so long as the supervisors understand the intricacies of supervising students. Service Learning is another community where this sort of thing can occur. I would be inclined to respect this young mans fears and to look for solutions to his educational needs that are supportive of all of those needs. Just a few thoughts.... Cheryl Howland, M.Ed., C.A.G.S. Biological Sciences Library UMASS, Amherst 413-545-2674 cherylh@library.umass.edu -----Original Message----- From: Evelyn Brown <ebrown@parkland.cc.il.us> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Date: Tuesday, November 14, 2000 11:28 AM Subject: [NIFL-LD:3256] RE: Help with College Prep Skills I would like to add to this. The student needs to be aware of the disability and his/her specific needs and also knowledgeable in the use of strategies and accommodations. In the program we have at Parkland College, one of my biggest frustrations is the student that doesn't feel comfortable with accommodations or doesn't want to use them until failure is imminent. At that point our services become a salvage operation not the combination that could have been used for success. Evelyn Brown >>> June_Crawford@ed.gov 11/13/00 03:47PM >>> I ran a college program for a number of years and we started taking students with diagnosed learning disabilities in 1983. We had a good record of retaining and graduating the students, but it requires a sensitive system that not only understands the legal necessity of reasonable accommodations, but personnel and faculty who care enough to learn about learning disabilities and student needs. Some of the books that discuss college services will list LD services, but I believe the student and parents need to go to the school, check out the system, make sure the place can accommodate the specific needs of the student, and make certain the professionals working with the student understand INSTRUCTION! Many places say they accept students with disabilities. They will give extra time for testing or private testing rooms, or make arrangements for use of a word processor for written exams, etc., but if they do not have faculty and tutors who are trained to assist students, and can demonstrate that what they do that is different from what they do for every other student, I would be cautious. Remedial programs at the college level are not the answer. The faculty and professional staff really need to have training in LD and be interested enough in this area of student service to have learned how students need to be taught - not just the accommodations, although these are necessary as part of the package. Anything less is not a good choice for most students. June Justice Crawford Learning Disabilities Program Associate National Institute For Literacy 202-233-2064 Phone 202-233-2050 Fax jcrawford@nifl.gov -----Original Message----- From: Eileen Trainor [mailto:et02@swt.edu] Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2000 5:59 PM To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: [NIFL-LD:3253] RE: Help with College Prep Skills Learning Outside the Lines, by Jonathan Mooney and David Cole, is a wonderful book for individuals with learning differences who are attending college. It is written by two individuals, one with a learning disability and one with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, who overcame the system and graduated with honors from college. Another resource is the website, http://www.learningdifferences.com This web site has inexpensive tools that you can use to help your son in math, reading, and vocabulary. I know this because I am using the tools to help my son (age 11) because the system is failing him. If your son decides to try again, make sure he knows that he must document his disability to get accomodations in class, testing, etc. There are also support groups on the larger campuses. It is important that he know he is not alone in this . . . Good luck and God bless. Eileen Trainor >===== Original Message From nifl-ld@nifl.gov ===== >My son has decided college "is not for me" since he did not get the skills >he needed to overcome his moderate learning disability (works hard but >unsuccessfully in community college classes). If he is willing, >I would like to send him somewhere he could acquire the "learning how to >learn" skills that he needs (unfortunately he grew up in a rural area and >has no faith in tutoring after several bad/indifferent experiences -- not >to mention the trauma from bad/indifferent teachers without understanding >or interest in learning disabilities). > >I would tremendously appreciate any specific info on resouces/experiences >with specific programs (Landmark college? Lindamood and Bell?). He is a >personable guy and resents having been put in classes with developmentally >disabled folks and is very suspicious of services. > >Thanks so much. Liz > >> What is the name of the specific program you used (Lindamood's >> and Bell's programs)? Thanks. mag@sover.net >> >> Denton Kurtz wrote: >> > >> > June, >> > What a perfect place to put the special programs that we know remediate >> > learning disabilities. A captive audience that would be highly motivated. >> > When we do intensive training of 4 hours a day 5 days a week, we are able to >> > get years of change in a matter of weeks. One of our first clients was our >> > son who had been in the public schools LD program for 9 years but graduated >> > with a 6th reading level. After 114 hours of intensive training using >> > Lindamood's and Bell's programs he was reading at the college level. He >> > went back to college where he had failed even with the "special help", and >> > graduated 3 years later with a 3.0 average. >> > Denton Kurtz >> > the Kurtz Center >> > Winter Park, FL >> > www.learningdisabilities.com >> > -----Original Message----- >> > From: Crawford, June <June_Crawford@ed.gov> >> > To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> >> > Date: Thursday, November 09, 2000 11:53 AM >> > Subject: [NIFL-LD:3239] Literacy and Prisons >> > >> > >Tom Woods mentioned that his program is located in a prison. I am curious, >> > >Tom, about the training of the faculty. Have they been trained in Bridges >> > >to Practice or in any of the reading programs that stress phonemic >> > >awareness? The incidence of learning disabilities in prisons is high, and >> > >yet the average sentence, nationwide, is only five years, and then people >> > >are back out on the street on probation/parole. Without an education, >> > >and/or an ability to navigate the job market through the use of assistive >> > >technology (and a diagnosis of LD for legal purposes) the chances of >> > >recidivism are greatly increased. The New York State Department of >> > >Corrections just decided to train a team of trainers for the prison system >> > >so their faculty can all get training. Several other states have done the >> > >same. I wonder how many of our listserv members are aware of any training >> > >being done in prisons in their state? >> > > >> > >I am "off the air" until Monday, but will look for responses at that point. >> > > >> > >June Justice Crawford >> > >Learning Disabilities Program Associate >> > >National Institute For Literacy >> > >202-233-2064 Phone >> > >202-233-2050 Fax >> > >jcrawford@nifl.gov >> > > >> > > >> > > >> >> -- >> ============================ >> http://www.sover.net/~mag/ >> > >Elizabeth V. Gifford >Project Director >UNR Smoking Cessation Project >Department of Psychology / 298 >Reno, NV 89557 > >(775) 784-1395 Eileen Trainor, Grant Coordinator Project Inter-ALT http://cie.ci.swt.edu/interalt Texas Crime Stoppers http://www.crimestoppers.swt.edu Center for Initiatives in Education Southwest Texas State University San Marcos, TX et02@swt.edu 512 245 9047
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