Hi Patricia,
 
I am an instructor and work with adult students with disabilities at Lorenzo Walker Institute of Technology in Naples, FL. I am also a member of the Practitioners' Task Force on Adults with LD. I was so pleased to see your interest in gathering information about identifying students with learning disabilities and providing accommodations they may need to be successful------especially since we're from the same region!
 
I have a unique position at LWIT as I assist students both in our adult education classes (GED) and our vocational certificate/continuing workforce education programs. This provides a great opportunity to help students develop meaningful goals and to identify any who have special needs early on.
We provide students who self-identify and have documentation of their disability with accommodations through a 504 Accommodation Plan process we developed a number of years ago. 
We have found that the success rate definitely jumps dramatically for students in all programs when appropriate accommodations are provided.  We(our department is Specialized Student Services) have a good referral process in place but are always looking for new ways to make sure that all students are aware of the services we provide  and to make it easier and more comfortable for them to self-identify to their instructor, counselor, or directly to us. We also help instructors build their awareness of disabilities by sharing information and any new materials we find, helping them conduct learning styles assessments, and incorporating elements of universal design. When a referral is made to us (including GED) we assist the student through the entire process from an intake interview to TABE testing to the GED pre-test/GED to their vocational programs and certification exams.  We make them aware of accommodations they may use that do not require documentation (you would be surprised at how many instructors are unaware of these) and help them through the accommodation request process which can be quite lengthy and difficult. The percentage of students who request and receive accommodations on the GED is unfortunately extremely low statewide. One of the reasons why may be due to  a lack of information and assistance from a knowledgeable individual/advocate.
 
This year we plan to develop better ways of meeting the needs of a very challenged group ------ those with no current documentation or who are undiagnosed but exhibit many LD characteristics. Our goal is to help students who have a history of frustration and failure in school experience success and the joy of learning that comes with it. We (in a team effort with our adult education instructors) hope to begin utilizing some screening instruments for earlier identification and will continue to actively assist students in obtaining documentation or diagnostic testing by working closely with Vocational Rehabilitation and other local agencies. Finding available resources for adults is very challenging and without help is often the point at which they give up. Providing them with a strong, enthusiastic and informed support network is critical.  Our Task Force has done a tremendous amount of work in this area and I would be happy to share the materials we have produced with you if you are interested. Examples are 3 Technical Assistance papers; 1) Rights and Responsibilities of Service Providers and Adults with Learning Disabilities, 2)Screening for Learning Disabilities in Adult Education,  3)Accommodations for Students with Learning Disabilities in Adult Education Programs and an information flipchart "A Practitioner's Guide to Adults with Learning Disabilities". One of our members, Meryl Eisenberg (Broward County) has developed a terrific Five-Step Intake Model for ABE professionals serving people with disabilities.
 
I hope what I have shared is helpful and please don't hesitate to contact me at (239) 377-0942.
 
Sincerely,
Diane
 
 
 
 
 
Diane Long
Instructor/Dept. Chair
Specialized Student Services
Lorenzo Walker Institute of Technology
Naples, FL 34104
Phone: (239) 377-0942
Fax:      (239) 377-1001
Email:    longdi at collier.k12.fl.us 
 

Pursuant to School Board policy and administrative procedures, this e-mail system is the property of the School District of Collier County and to be used for official business only. In addition, all users are cautioned that messages sent through this system are subject to the Public Records Law of the State of Florida and also to review by the school system. There should be no expectation of privacy. 
 

>>> "Linder, Patricia" <PLinder at tempest.coedu.usf.edu> 8/28/2007 11:23 AM >>>


Hello colleagues.
 
I joined this informative discussion board over the summer and have found it to be a wonderful resource.  As co-director of a regional adult literacy resource center serving 15 counties on the west coast of Florida, I am seeing more and more demand for professional development on topics related to adults with learning disabilities.  
 
Your professional assistance would be greatly appreciated in regards to one topic that has emerged from adult educators and program administrators across our region.  I am particularly interested in how your programs identify adult students with learning disabilities so that they are eligible to receive GED testing accommodations. 
 
1.    What are your organization's policies or procedures concerning the use of LD screening instruments? For example, do you screen all students upon enrollment, only on instructor recommendation, only after a set period of instruction, etc?
 
2.    When screening suggests that an adult learner should be referred for diagnostic testing, what resources are available to you and your students to support diagnosis?
 
3.    What percentage of your adult learners receive accommodations when taking the GED?
 
4.    If anyone has access to state statistics on this topic, please share the website with us.
 
I look forward to sharing information garnered through your response with professional colleagues in our region.
 
Thank you,
 
Patty 
 
Patricia Linder,
Co-Director, Region IV Resource Center 
University of South Florida
4202 E. Fowler Ave., PED214
Tampa, FL 33620
 
Office (813) 974-7794
Fax (813) 974-0952
Email plinder at tempest.coedu.usf.edu
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/learningdisabilities/attachments/20070904/a9ee1704/attachment.html