"Where you stand depends on where you sit."

I like that.


>From where I sit, I've worked with too many students who have failed because their LD was either not diagnosed or they were not given necessary accommodations....in postsecondary institutions.


I am glad adult education is working to take care of this at another level.  My primary concern is that those efforts aren't always transferring into the colleges.  Community colleges and even state colleges don't seem to have as much of an issue because there are usually specific departments that help these students transition.  But in smaller, private schools, it seems these students fall through the cracks and never even know they "fell" until it's too late.  


Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt
www.luxuriouschoices.net 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Glenn Young 
  To: 'The Learning Disabilities Discussion List' 
  Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 4:40 PM
  Subject: [LearningDisabilities 1658] Re: Response to Jon's question last week


  Katherine 

  There is an old saying . where you stand where you sdepends upon it .. So your struggle and focus . is based on your personal experience .

   

  So .. Keep on fighting . and we can support each others fights .

   

  But we must always keep the broad picture of fighting for the broad LD issues .

   

   

  Glenn Young

  CSLD

  530 Auburn Ave

  Buffalo NY 14222

  Cell 703-864-3755

  Fax 716-822-2842

  website: glennyoungcsld.com


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  From: learningdisabilities-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:learningdisabilities-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Nancie Payne
  Sent: Saturday, January 19, 2008 6:30 AM
  To: Learningdisabilities at nifl.gov
  Subject: [LearningDisabilities 1656] Response to Jon's question last week

   

  In response to Rochelle's request for a response to Jon's question:

  First, I am not an attorney and do not explicitly follow the ADA/Civil Rights cases, thus I can not comment on any rulings or stipulations.  That said -- here are some thoughts about the LD policy set by the literacy agency and the college that Jon references. 

  I am going to start at the end instead of the beginning.  First, it is my belief that the major reason a teacher (in the adult basic education world) would need new or updated learning disability information about a student is for purposes of receiving necessary accommodations on the GED Test, in admissions testing and/or when involved in coursework in a postsecondary institution, or on a job/work training situation.

  Now that you have my bias/opinion, here's the next element. While a learning disability is a permanent disability, there are several "glitches" if you will.

  Many times, especially with the current elements of the IDEA, K-12 students are not actually diagnosed with a learning disability - only identified as "qualifying for special education services."  Then, there are the issues around documentation done by a qualified professional.  There are no constants in the documentation of a learning disability - while many professionals follow a specific set of criteria, research shows that in practice, there are many ways of documenting this disability - some more acceptable than others.  These documentation elements lead to individuals having documentation that is inaccurate or frequently does not provide enough information to support the diagnosis. Finally, if the only documentation available was done sometime during elementary, middle, or early high school and the individual is now an adult, chances are their cognitive abilities have changed (especially if they have encountered good teachers and used strategies) and while the learning disability might still be present, the levels are different and an "adult assessment" may be important to have.

  All that said, the question is whether an adult education teacher providing instruction to an individual who has/appears to have a learning disability is assisted - instructionally speaking - by documentation/diagnostic information.  In my estimation - many times not, as the documentation/diagnosis typically does not suggest what should be done; that is the types of modification or adjustments appropriate in an adult education/literacy setting. Remember, that is not to say that the documentation/diagnosis is not important if accommodations for the GED test, postsecondary or work appear to be in order. In these cases, programs that provide adult basic education (in this case literacy and pre-GED classes) certainly have a need - as advocates for the student - and hopefully believe - a responsibility - to help the student access updated or new information.  If we don't do it who will?  If it doesn't happen during the time the student is enrolled in the adult education program, does the lack of such create a significant barrier in passage to the next level of self-sufficiency?  In my opinion, these requests should be based again on the student's goals/direction and the requirements/standards set by the entity/organization (e.g., GED Testing Service, the postsecondary institution, or the workplace).  

  On to the next element -- It is my understanding that organizations/programs that receive federal, state or local municipality funds and are providing services to individuals who lack the resources/support to access new or updated documentation of a disability have some obligation to assist the individual.  The question is - to what level of assistance is the obligation of the organization/program?  At the very least, having information available regarding resources within the community - for example: Vocational Rehabilitation may provide assistance if the student's primary goal is to become employed, literacy/GED is a step in that goal and a disability or the perception that there is a disability is preventing the student from achieving the goal or if the student is a welfare-to-work/TANF participant then there should be resources for disability documentation/diagnosis from that program.  These are just two instances of assistance within the system.  Each state, region and local area has a variety of options.  

  Well, the subject continually evolves - perhaps others in the legal field have more substantive information from the ADA perspective.

  Nancie Payne

   

   



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