Learning Disabilities Training: A New Approach - Module 3

"Each of us is unique. Everyone has something to offer. I can't breathe alone under water. I'm disabled that way. I need accommodations - tank, suit, flippers, etc... I need someone from the ocean to teach me how to swim and dive."¹

The first step to building an effective training plan is an assessment that focuses on the learner's needs. A good assessment should provide information on the following:

Providing objective evidence of a learner's strengths and weaknesses is not only empowering for the adult but is essential for planning an effective training plan.

Any support should be carefully planned and relevant to the learner's personal circumstances and individual goals. The learner must not only be active in the planning, they should also be involved in the constant cycle of evaluation and strategy adjustments. One of the most valuable contributions to the plan is what the learner thinks his/her strengths and struggles are and what areas he/she views as needing to learn.

"It appears that the best educational tool for people with disabilities is patience. Self-esteem, building on strengths, advocacy for a student's disability, and increasing the awareness of other staff and students are paramount. These students need to gain respect from others by having knowledge about their rights as a student with a disability.

Often, individuals have struggled their whole life not having been diagnosed with a disability, but knowing that learning was more difficult for them. Their disability has a psychosocial, a technological, and an educational impact. Any approach that successfully works with these students will address all three of these parameters.

We need to change the ecology for the learning disabled student by addressing their need for support, acknowledging their experience of helplessness, and providing access to the appropriate assistive technology. We must pull all of these things together to develop the best transition plan possible."²

Building training plans for adults with learning disabilities

Principles of an effective training plan