Cautions to be exercised by learners and practitioners
"It was hard not knowing what I could do, not knowing what I was good at. I
was never let in to any of the discussion about anything that was going on
with me. In school, I always heard "She has problems with this, she can't do
this, she doesn't know how to do that." I never, ever heard anything good
about me. The only thing I heard was that I was a very quiet and polite young
lady. I never heard, "She's a good student, she does well in that. These are her
strengths." At home, it was "You don't want to do anything. I don't know
what's wrong with you."" 9
Practitioners and learners should note the following cautions:
- Don't define adults by their difficulties
- Learning problems experienced by adults should not become the
characteristics that overpower other more positive features of their
identities
- It is far more important to emphasize people's strengths during the
learning process than their weaknesses
- Learning disabilities should not be used as an excuse for lack of
success10
How can adults with learning disabilities experience success?
People with learning disabilities need individualized accommodations and
strategies in their home, school, community and workplace settings, which
are suitable to their strengths and needs, including:
- Specific skill instruction
- The development of compensatory strategies
- The development of self-advocacy skills
- Appropriate accommodations11
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