Dear Colleagues:
Please join us in the following session at this year's COABE National
Conference in Houston, Texas:


Learning Disabilities & Work Issues: How Can We Help?

Thursday, April 27 at 11:00 AM in the computer lab
Presented by Aaron Kohring, Content Coordinator of the Literacy and 
Learning Disabilities Special Collection
and Donna Brian, Content Coordinator of the Workforce Education Special 
Collection


Learning disabilities among workers are common, though often unrecognized, 
and they frequently contribute to job loss. As an educator, what can you do 
to prepare adults with LD for greater success in the world of work? How do 
you assist an adult to self-assess for their strengths, their struggles, 
and helpful accommodations? What proactive steps can make the difference 
between success and frustration for LD workers? What is the role of 
self-advocacy? Are there learning strategies that are especially effective 
with LD workers? Where can you go for resources?

This session begins with a participatory activity to heighten awareness of 
the nature of LD in the workplace. Participants will then consider ways to 
discern strengths and weaknesses of an adult with learning disabilities and 
provide appropriate accommodations to foster success. Learning and work 
strategies particularly effective for those with LD will be introduced. The 
recounted experiences of successful LD workers will bring to life the 
critical role that self-advocacy plays.

Throughout the presentation, the presenters will highlight pertinent 
resources from the Literacy and Learning Disabilities and Workforce 
Education Special Collections. We will demonstrate on-line how the 
collections can be used to find free resources. The organization and 
content of the special collections will be explored through using the 
collections to find information about issues. Attendees will be able to 
extend their learning beyond the presentation through access to a 
self-paced tutorial (authored by the presenters) plus a list of applicable 
online resources.

Participation of attendees in providing examples of their experiences with 
adults with LD will be encouraged throughout the presentation. Discussion 
will invite feedback from participants to guide the presenters' continued 
future efforts in collecting and organizing on-line resources responsive to 
the needs of workplace and workforce educators in mentoring adults with 
learning disabilities.





Donna JG Brian
Moderator, NIFL Workplace Literacy Discussion List, and
Coordinator/Developer LINCS Workforce Education Special Collection at 
http://worklink.coe.utk.edu/
Center for Literacy Studies at The University of Tennessee
600 Henley Street, Suite 312
Knoxville, TN 37996-4135

865-974-3420 (desk phone) FAX 865-974-3857
djgbrian at utk.edu