Dilemmas faced when working with learning disabilities in post-secondary education

Abstract

For many years now, issues concerning adults with dyslexia have generated heated debate and the questions addressed in this volume are no exception. Chapter 11, by Keim, Ryan, and Nolan emphasizes the need to formulate a consistent policy regarding students with LD that can be shared by the diverse set of professionals who support them on a college campus. The results of their survey of support professionals trained in education and counseling do reveal differences in opinion, but it is reassuring that there is more overlap than disagreement. These results suggest a growing awareness of learning disabilities on college campuses.Although professionals may be more aware of the need to support and provide allowances for college students with learning disabilities, there remain many controversies to be settled. In particular, Wertheim, Vogel, and Brulle (chapter 12) consider the complex legal, ethical, and educational issues surrounding college students with dyslexia who wish to become teachers. Although their potential students will benefit from the empathy and concern of teachers who themselves struggled with academic subjects, youngsters also need excellent informed instruction. Given the need for teachers to have explicit knowledge of language structure, and recent evidence that few new teachers possess that knowledge, it is widely believed we should be imposing higher professional standards. Should we be encouraging students who struggle with reading to become teachers of reading? How do we balance the rights of would-be teachers with the needs of their future students? And most importantly, how can we best prepare future teachers (with and without LD) for the challenging job they seek to undertake?Equating "adults" with high school and college students can be misleading. As long as persons with dyslexia are in school, their difficulties with reading and testing loom large. 271 272 ADULTS WITH DYSLEXIA However, as documented in the chapter by R. Fink, persons with dyslexia can and do rise above their early schooling difficulties to achieve a level of success shared by few in society. Participants in her study agreed to be identified by name to further inspire others with dyslexia for whom "success" is still only an abstract concept. Comprehensive testing conducted by Fink supports what other studies have told us before the difficulties that render a person vulnerable to reading difficulties do not just "go away", even in these :successful doctors, lawyers, educators, and scientists. One novel feature of this study is the argument that interest (or passion) in a content area motivates the young person to read voraciously and thereby obtain the necessary practice in reading now deemed so essential to reading success.As a group, these three papers on adults send an important message: the challenges of assisting talented young adults with LD forge a professional life are daunting and complex, but not insurmountable. The success stories shared by Fink not only offer useful insights regarding one important pathway to ...

Boundaries in Family—Professional Relationships

“…Currently, there is no "code of ethics" defining boundaries in relationships between families and educators, either delineating the more extreme conflicts or presenting guidelines for everyday behavior (Keim, Ryan, & Nolan, 1998). However, professional educational organizations have touched briefly on the issue.…”