Learning Site for Teachers > Learning Resources for Teachers > Adults with Learning Disabilities > SDL for LD
Self-Directed Learning for
Teaching Students
with Learning Disabilities
The
resources and links below are divided into 7 categories with a brief
annotation for each one. However, there is much overlap between many of the
sites and each one may have information on learning disabilities in more
than one topical area.
General Information
Literacy and Learning Disabilities
Learning & Teaching Strategies/Resources
Universal Design
Legal Information
Technology
Free Software & Information
Suggestions for use:
(1) proceed through some of the sites that offer general learning
disabilities information to get a basic understanding of the
characteristics of learning disabilities and some of the ways that adults
with learning disabilities may be affected in various life domains:
(2) in
the sections on literacy and learning disabilities and learning and
teaching strategies/resources, use the sites listed first as they have
been assembled by the national organizations on literacy;
(3) the journals
and books listed on another page are offered as resources to gain more
in-depth information about learning disabilities and adults and may be
used by programs as a way to gather additional resources for literacy
teachers and other professionals
General Learning Disabilities Information
http://www.ldonline.org/
LD online is
primarily related to younger individuals with learning disabilities and
their parents. However, under the category "LD In Depth," there are
several topic areas relevant to adults and those who work with adults:
Adult Issues, Postsecondary Education, and Technology. Each of these
topics has additional links s well.
http://www.ld.org/
This web site of the
National Center for Learning Disabilities has an LD Info Zone with Fact
Sheets on the different types of learning disabilities and a Resource
Locater for each state. In addition there is a section on Living with LD:
For Adults. The Fact Sheets do an excellent job of explaining the
different kinds of learning disabilities, their signs, and some brief tips
on how to address them.
http://www.ldanatl.org/
This is the web site
of the Learning Disabilities Association of America, which was founded in
1963 to help support people with learning disabilities, their parents,
teachers, and other professionals. There are many state chapters and there
is one in Georgia, the Learning Disabilities Association of Georgia,
http://www.ldag.org/. Several Georgia counties
have chapters as well, and these can be found on the LDA of Georgia web
site.
The Learning
Disabilities Association of American web site has resources has sections
with information for adults, teachers, professionals, etc., as well as a
section on research and resources. The site is speech enabled with Browse
Aloud software which would allow adults with reading disabilities to
listen to the information on the web site.
http://www.schwablearning.org/index.asp
The web site is
primarily geared for parents who have children with learning disabilities
and/or ADHD. However, searches on "technology" and "adults" will yield
information pertinent to adults with learning disabilities in literacy
settings. Other topics on reading, processing disorders, etc. give
valuable information on characteristics of students with LD and
suggestions for strategies in working with them.
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Literacy
and Learning Disabilities
http://www.nifl.gov
The primary web site
for literacy has a link directly from the home page titled Bridges to
Practice: Helping adults with learning disabilities. This link provides
abundant information on the Bridges to Practice program: the training
schedule: training guidebooks for professionals: a section for adults with
learning disabilities themselves: and an archived collection of documents
from the National Adult Literacy and Learning Disabilities Center. The
Guidebook Series can be downloaded and provide information on the
assessment, planning, and teaching/learning process.
http://www.ncsall.net/
The web site for the
National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy provides
several links that are directly related to teaching adults with learning
disabilities. Under the Subject Index, there is a link for Learning
Difficulties/Disabilities that provides excellent summaries on adults with
LD in literacy programs as well as specific articles addressing how to
teach reading and mathematics to adults with learning disabilities.
Additional topics under the Subject Index are relevant for adult literacy
students with learning disabilities including Technology, Adult Multiple
Intelligences, Instruction/Teaching Practices, and Reading.
http://aalrc.org/resources/ld/index.aspx
The web site for the
Arkansas Adult Learning Resource Center provides basic information on
learning disabilities and a comprehensive LD Policy Manual. The LD Policy
Manual discusses ADA and Section 504, the accommodations process,
documentation, instructional and testing procedures, and provides sample
forms, letters, and checklists for facilitating accessible programs.
http://www.nald.ca/index.htm
The web site for the
National Adult Literacy Database in Canada provides information on
screening measures, assessment, and teaching adults with learning
disabilities in literacy programs. From the home page, search on Full Text
Documents under the letter "L" and find information on Learning
Disabilities: Best Practice and Innovation, Learning Disabilities
Training: A New Approach, and Learning Disabilities Training: Phase II.
http://www.aelweb.vcu.edu/publications/LDGuide/index.htm
The web site
sponsored by the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center provides
The Learning Disabilities Adaptations &
Accommodations Guide. The Guide provides information on the
characteristics of LD, the identification of appropriate accommodations,
and recommendations for matching adaptations/accommodations to learners
needs.
http://www.floridatechnet.org/bridges/
The Florida web site
adapted from the Bridges to Practice materials and model provides an
abundance of information on learning disabilities in general, along with
detailed information on reading disabilities, ESOL and learning
disabilities, learning disabilities and corrections. It also provides a
glossary of LD-related terms and an enhanced version of an AT Guide.
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Learning
and Teaching Strategies/Resources
http://www.nifl.gov/readingprofiles/
The web site provides
the professional with information based on the Adult Reading Components
Study (ARCS) by NCSALL and offers researched based assessment practices in
the area of reading for the adult education classroom. Although not
specifically LD-related, the web site and the study clearly specify the
skills and tasks required in learning to read and how they are attained by
learners. The web site offers two tracks: (1) Match a Profile where a
teacher can enter scores for a learner who is matched with one of 11
ARCS-based profiles. There are suggestions for instruction as well as
information about the learners' profile: (2) A Mini- Course where the
teacher can find more extensive information on the major reading
components and sections containing references and downloadable resources.
http://www.learningdifferences.com/
The web site provides
learning tools and strategies to use with students, suggestions for
professional development, and a list of resources and products for
teachers. In addition, it provides the Cooper Screening of Information
Processing (C-SIP) and the C-SIP Interpretation Manual, both available for
free download.
http://readingquest.org
The web site provides
the bases for sound comprehension strategy instruction, a range of content
reading strategies, and printable handouts and masters for strategies. The
"Resources" link provides additional web sites for further exploration of
reading and comprehension strategies, some of them LD specific.
http://www.muskingum.edu/home/cal/
The web site from the
Center for the Advancement of Learning at Muskingum College provides a
Learning Strategies Database (see link on left-hand side of web page)
divided into two sections: General Learning Strategies (memory,
test-taking, comprehension, notetaking, etc.) and Content Specific
Learning Strategies.
http://www.allamericareads.org/
The web site offers
reading strategies and lesson plans for educators to use to actively
engage their students with their reading texts. The activities include
before-reading, during-reading, and after-reading strategies along with
vocabulary strategies.
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/teaching_techniques/
ellis_strategyfeatures.html
The web site provides
an overview of good learning strategies, along with a demonstration of the
PASS reading comprehension strategy.
http://ldlink.coe.utk.edu/learning_strategies_curr.htm
The web site gives an
overview of learning strategies to help students study and remember
information. The links at the bottom of the page titled Learning Tool Box
and Learning Skills: A Comprehensive Orientation and Study Skills
Curriculum give additional strategies for teachers and students to use.
http://www.justreadnow.com/strategies/
The web site provides
Discussion Strategies, Active Reading Strategies, Vocabulary Strategies,
and Organization Strategies along with detailed directions for how to use
the strategies.
http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/ela20/teach5.html
The web site provides
an explanation and demonstration of reading strategies to use before,
during, and after reading selections are completed in the classroom. It
uses several examples to demonstrate the different strategies and how they
may be used.
http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/writing.html
The web site provides
writing strategies for students to use in the various stages of writing.
Many of the strategies use mapping or visual diagrams to facilitate the
writing process and to assist with brainstorming ideas for writing.
http://www.gse.buffalo.edu/org/writingstrategies/index.htm
The web site provides
writing strategies for teachers and students in grades K-12. However, many
of the strategies for students in grades 6-12 can be adapted for use in
literacy classrooms. The site offers strategies for brainstorming,
grammar, editing, and peer editing for use in the classroom.
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/teaching/ldteach/
The web site provides
information and strategies for teaching students with learning
disabilities specifically in the area of writing. There are explanations
for difficulties the students may have and why along with many teacher
resources for use at each stage of the writing process.
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Below are additional web sites that provide more
in-depth information about strategy use with some strategies discussed as
well:
http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/front_strategies.html
http://www.as.wvu.edu/~scidis/learning.html
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/teaching_techniques/strategies.html
http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/newsdig/nd25txt.htm
http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/adult_ed_02.pdf
This last one gives
the results of a comprehensive literature review and makes recommendations
for principles, trends, and practices related to teaching adults reading.
It is comprehensive and provides not so much strategies as guidelines and
principles for teaching reading to adults.
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Universal Design
http://www.cast.org
The web site provides
information and activities on universal design for learning (UDL) which
encompasses creating instructional environments designed to support all
learners according to their individual strengths and needs. The Teaching
Every Student (TES) link on the right-hand side of the page provides model
lessons, tutorials, and more information on how to design classrooms and
instruction according to the UDL principles.
http://www.facultyware.uconn.edu/home.cfm
The web site provides
information on the development of Universal Design for Instruction (UDI),
explains the principles of UDI, and offers resources and instructional
products that have been rated as meeting the principles of UDI. The
principles of UDI encourage creating instructional activities and
environments that benefit all learners to the maximum extent possible.
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Legal
Information
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/auxaids.html
The web site provides
information on the legal responsibilities of educational programs under
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. It also has links to the
Office of Civil Rights (OCR) offices responsible for each region of the
country.
http://ada.gov/
The web site is the
entry page for information on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
and provides abundant information and technical assistance manuals to
assist programs in meeting their responsibilities under the law. All of
the technical assistance manuals can be downloaded and there are also
numbers to call to request individual assistance. Publications available
for ordering are also provided.
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Technology
http://www.gatfl.org/
The web site of the Tools for Life program in Georgia provides information on how to obtain and use various types of technology hardware and software. The LD Guide on the left-hand side of the home page provides an overview on the various types of learning disabilities and technology that can assist students to compensate for their disabilities. Under the "Publications" link, the LD AT Resource Packet and the Toolbox: Writing Issues and Assistive Technology Solutions provide information to assist teachers and students in effectively using technology in the classroom and in daily life.
http://www.microsoft.com/enable/
The web site gives
information on assistive technology, types of impairments and the helpful
technology for each one, and step-by-step tutorials on how to make the
Microsoft products accessible. There are additional links on case studies,
articles, and video demonstrations of accessible technology for
individuals with disabilities and its benefits.
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Free
Software and Information
Provided below are
some links to free, low-cost, or demo software for using with students
with learning disabilities. It is usually a good idea to first experiment
with students with low-cost or demo software before purchasing the
products. There is a learning curve for each type of hardware and software
designed to assist students with disabilities and they would need to make
the commitment to complete the training it takes to learn to use it
effectively.
http://www.readplease.com/english/downloads/#rp2003
ReadPlease is a
text-to-speech software that enables your computer to read aloud what is
on the screen. ReadPlease is free and ReadPlease Plus costs $49.95.
ReadingBar 2 is also available for a 30 day trial period. It reads any web
page aloud and works with Internet Explorer.
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Demonstration and
trial versions:
http://www.freedomscientific.com/LSG/products/wynn_demo.asp
Wynn
Scanning & Reading Literacy Software
(specifically designed for students with learning disabilities)
http://www.inspiration.com/freetrial/
Inspiration
(a writing tool, organization software)
http://www.words-plus.com/website/products/soft/ezstep2.htm
Word
Prediction and Abbreviation Expansion: EZ Keys
When the user begins to type a word, EZ Keys displays a table of the six
most frequently used words that begin with those letters. The user selects
the appropriate word from the display, and EZ Keys instantly types the
remainder of the word. In addition, EZ Keys features next word prediction,
where the program actually learns your word patterns and displays a list
of the last six words you used in conjunction with the previous word.
Simply select the correct word and EZ Keys types it for you.
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Complied for the
Office of Adult Literacy, Georgia Department of Technical and Adult
Education
by Dr. Elaine Manglitz, Director of Disability Services, Clayton State
College under the direction of
Dr. Tom Valentine, Project Director of the University of Georgia Adult
Literacy Technical Assistance Project.