Learning Disabilities

Minnesota Adult Basic Education Disabilities
This site contains information frequently requested by Minnesota ’s adult education instructors and is accessible by users with disabilities. The material helps equip ABE managers, teachers, volunteers and tutors to provide learning experiences and basic skills that improve the lives of students with disabilities.

Council for Learning Disabilities
The Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD) is an international organization concerned about issues related to students with learning disabilities.

Learning Disabilities Association of America
LDA strives to advance the education and general welfare of children and adults with learning disabilities.

National Center for Learning Disabilities
This site is a gateway to learning disability information and resources on the web.

OZ Ideas
Tests for emotional blocks, confusion and gaps while reading or spelling.

The Relative Benefits Found for Students With and Without Learning Disabilities Taking a First-year University Preparation Course
First-level students with and without learning disabilities were tested on variables known to influence academic performance at the beginning and end of a university preparation course. Results revealed that students entering university with and without learning disabilities have similar challenges. Both groups showed increases in attentiveness, and academic and general resourcefulness after the course.

Metacognition, Cognitive Strategy Instruction and Reading in Adult Literacy
Jennifer G. Cromley
Every time people think about what they said (e.g., Was I tactful?), check something they did (e.g., Did I get the correct change?), or decide whether they have finished a task (e.g., Is this note to my daughter clear enough?), they are engaging in metacognition, or thinking about thinking. Metacognition is very important for reading comprehension.

New Brain Findings On Dyslexic Children: Good Readers Learn From Repeating Auditory Signals, Poor Readers Do Not
ScienceDaily
The vast majority of school-aged children can focus on the voice of a teacher amid the cacophony of the typical classroom thanks to a brain that automatically focuses on relevant, predictable and repeating auditory information, according to new research from Northwestern University. But for children with developmental dyslexia, the teacher's voice may get lost in the background noise of banging lockers, whispering children, playground screams and scraping chairs, the researchers say.

Seeking The Biological Basis Of Dyslexia
ScienceDaily
Most researchers agree that the reading disability stems from an inability to link specific sounds to written letters and words. But any consensus quickly breaks down when scientists discuss the underlying biological causes that lead to those difficulties.

Assistive Technology-Meeting the Needs of Adults with Learning Disabilities
Adrienne Riviere
This article includes a sampling of tools and technologies that have been designed or adapted to help improve functional capabilities.

Tips for Self-Advocacy in the Workplace
Dale S. Brown
This article outlines and describes steps that adults with learning disabilities can take to become self-advocates and to request accommodations or services in the workplace.

Help for Struggling Readers
A list of resources for readers struggling with dyslexia.

The Font for People with Dyslexia
A study at the University of Twente showed that people with dyslexia made fewer reading errors when they use the dyslexia font.

CALPRO Online Courses
CALPRO has converted nine of its face-to-face workshops into online courses and plans to make additional courses available in the future. In addition to facilitated online courses, CALPRO offers self-directed online courses. No previous experience with Moodle or online learning is necessary to take a self-directed course.

Ghotit
This is a super-spell-checker that is ideal for very beginning English Language Learners and ELL’s with learning disabilities (as well as native speakers with challenges). It has the ability to help “sleuth-out” words that people are trying to spell - in a much more in depth way than most regular spell-checkers.

Minnesota Adult Basic Education Disabilities Website
This guide is designed to equip ABE managers, teachers, volunteers and tutors to empower, educate and improve the lives of their students with disabilities.

Adults with Learning Disabilities-Definitions and Issues
This fact sheet provides: a definition of learning disabilities in adults; a list of common elements found in many useful LD definitions; and a list of areas in which LD may affect life situations of adults.

Florida's Focus on Learning Disabilities: Bridges to Practice Web-based Training
This web-based training module was created for Florida adult educators to provide on-line professional development on learning disabilities in the adult student.

Keys to Effective LD Teaching Practice
This 161 page resource book was developed by Tennessee AE practitioners, Bridges to Practice trainers, and a UT professor/psychologist. It shares the action research experiences of a group of teachers as they used various instructional strategies and approaches reflecting "LD appropriate instruction" as described in Bridges to Practice.

Learning Disability Resources
The LD Resources web site has been providing resources for people with learning disabilities since 1995.

NIFL Publications on Learning Disabilities
This site includes directories, newsletters and news articles relating to learning disabilities.

Online Course for Instructing Visually Impaired Adults
The American Foundation for the Blind National Literacy Center offers this course, free of charge, to all professionals interested in improving their awareness and understanding of issues faced by adults who are visually impaired and have low literacy skills.

Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
This site contains many links to resources and information pertaining to individuals with disabilities and how to bring accessibility to the World Wide Web to them.