Since graduating from college, I have formed a self-help group of adults with learning disabilities, which became a model chapter for the nation. In the process of assisting the formation of other groups and advising many parents and professionals, I came into contact with hundreds of learning disabled adults. Later the self-help groups of the country formed the National Network of Learning Disabled Adults, and I served as it’s first President.
My story and the stories of many other learning disabled adults lead to the following recommendations to post-secondary educators:
Learning disabled students need academic accommodations. I would not have gotten through college were it not for the accommodations I received from Antioch. More traditional schools should consider the following suggestions:
Allow learning disabled students to audit classes before taking them. Permit them to attend more than one section of a class. Request that professors let the students know about the work ahead of time so they can study before the class begins. Extend deadlines if possible.
Be flexible in evaluating students, without lowering academic standards. Judy Agard, who studied the impact of PL 94-142 on adolescents with learning disabilities, states, “LD students, generally speaking, do not need a separate grading standard. But they may need additional opportunities to bring their grades up; e.g., doing extra homework, turning in homework or quizzes a separate time after corrections, doing individual projects in lieu of or in addition to tests, being allowed more time on tests, or being allowed to take the same test a second time.” (Agard and Brannon, 1980, p. 119)
Advertise “remedial” classes in a positive way.
Provide tutoring if possible.
Students with learning disabilities should be realistic about their course loads since most coping skills for learning disabilities take extra time.