Author(s): Suzanne Gosden Kitchen and Sarah Dufalla

Institutional affiliation/Agency/Program: Job Accommodation Network (JAN)

Publication date or date of most recent update: 2006

Number of pages: 1 page web document

Website URL: http://www.ldonline.org/article/12081

Key words: Learning disabilities, Accommodations (For disabilities), Jobs and workforce, Jobs, Employers

Target population: Learners, Instructors, Employers

Skill levels of instructional materials (lessons, curricula):
ABE Beginning Basic Education (NRS Educational Functioning Level 2)
ABE Intermediate Low (NRS Educational Functioning Level 3)
ABE Intermediate High (NRS Educational Functioning Level 4)
ASE Low (NRS Educational Functioning Level 5)
ASE High (NRS Educational Functioning Level 6)

Abstract: The article gives a general explanation of learning disabilities, states what is covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and lists some accommodation ideas for the workplace. It includes several examples of job situations and how the employee was provided with an accommodation to help them succeed.

What the experts say: This article offers suggestions to help students successfully transition to the workplace. For students with learning disabilities, knowing how to choose appropriate and effective accommodations can be one of the most significant factors in their ability to succeed in meeting their adult education goals and in employment. Instructors can work with learners to help them choose appropriate accommodations.

Some useful features of this article are:

• The article's introduction, which explains JAN (Job Accommodation Network) and the purpose of its series on accommodations, as well as a link to their online accommodations search resource.
• The specific accommodation suggestions for specific areas of difficulty for people with learning disabilities.
• Sample "Situations and Solutions," a collection of scenarios in which appropriate and effective job accommodations were successfully implemented.

The article is limiting in the information it provides on definitions and causes of learning disabilities. Links could have been provided to further definitions and research on potential causes. However, the article has significant value to learners with LD, instructors, and employers in helping adults succeed in the workplace.