A number of participants identified that they were easily distracted when younger, that they became discouraged when they did not appear to be achieving in the same way as their able-bodied classmates. Some of the participants were also coping with associated physical problems, such as, poor coordination and vision difficulties. One participant gave an example of the school’s inability to make even a small accommodation:

“ I had to sit at the back because my name was later in the alphabet and I couldn’t see properly.” (NB2)

Another participant described the humiliation of not being able to get into the classroom:

“ I ended up sitting out in the hall, used to drop my papers on the floor, they gave up on me.” (BC4)

Twenty of the participants (77%) are over 30 years of age and as such their experiences and perceptions of the school system may not reflect the current situation. In Canada, the approach during the 1960's was the creation of segregated classrooms, schools and institutions. In the 1970’s, the typical response was a creation of special classrooms and developmental centres with a diagnosticremedial approach. In the late 1970’s to the mid 1980’s, there was a move towards integration of children with special needs into regular classes. While younger people with disabilities may have an improved and more positive experience of the school system, those experiences shared by the predominantly older participants in this study provide valuable information for adult literacy program developers. It is this group of learners who may choose to upgrade their literacy skills. Negative experiences of this nature may present significant barriers to learning for this age group must also be acknowledged by planners and instructors.

· Access to Programs and Technology

This category – access to programs and technology - is addressed briefly as it is most commonly associated with physical disability. In this study, however, it did not emerge as a significant theme. A few participants identified that they did not have a computer; one person identified that he had wanted to enroll in a computer class but was told he had to have Grade 12 in order to do so (he has Grade 6), and several participants knew that “there were programs out there but they were difficult to get to” (BC7) mostly due to lack of transportation.