Serving Adults With Learning Disabilities:

An LD Policy and Planning Guide

Adult literacy programs supported through federal or state funds must have policies in place that ensure full participation and benefit for adults with learning disabilities. The information presented in this LD Policy and Planning Guide provides a broad brushstroke to the information obtained in the Bridges to Practice staff development offered in New York State. This guide is not meant to usurp staff attendance at Bridges to Practice workshops but to complement training and provide a catalyst for the development of local learning disability policies.

Understanding Learning Disabilities and Special Learning Needs

There is no single cause of learning disabilities and, therefore no single set of characteristics. When considering adults with learning disabilities, it is important to recognize that a wide range of learning, social, and behavioral characteristics exist. For the purposes of this Policy and Planning Guide, the term "special needs" refers to adult students or clients with significant learning challenges or disabilities, who may need modified or varied services in order to achieve their educational, personal, or work-related goals. The following describes various learning characteristics that may or may not be related to special need areas. It is important to note that no individual will demonstrate all the characteristics associated with learning disabilities and that individuals without learning disabilities may demonstrate some of these characteristics. Therefore it is important to be aware of the wide range of characteristics associated with learning.

Learning Differences, Learning Styles, and Learning Difficulties

All of us learn in different ways. Some of us are visual and need to see things to understand them. Others of us are kinesthetic/tactile learners and need to touch or manipulate things in order to understand them. Still others are auditory learners and need to hear information to gain full understanding of it. There are many ways to categorize styles of learning. For example, the theory of Multiple Intelligences describes art, music, linguistics, mathematics, to name a few, as learning style areas. Everyone has one or several learning style strengths, and most of us, if necessary, can adapt to learning "outside of" our preferred learning strength. Some of us, however, struggle to learn new information and skills presented in a format other than our preferred learning style. Learning, however, can pose a bigger challenge. There are times we all have difficulty learning or doing something in life, such as learning to parallel park, learning a new language, or learning to play a sport such as tennis. These difficulties, most often, can be overcome or avoided altogether. It is part of human nature to avoid things that are difficult; but when these learning difficulties impact our daily functioning, our ability to achieve goals and be successful in life, they are significant learning difficulties or, if very severe, could be learning disabilities.