• 80% reported a positive impact from learning in at least one aspect of their lives.
• 42% reported an improvement in their ability to stand up and be heard and in their willingness to take responsibility.
• 28% reported increased involvement in social, community and/or voluntary activities.
• Being disabled or in poor health was viewed as a barrier to participation; however, higher proportions of learners with a disability or health problem reported positive benefits of learning compared to those in good health.
• While participation in learning declines after retirement, giving up work can also act as a trigger for new learning.
• The most important reasons for learning were wanting to keep the brain active, enjoying the challenge of learning new things, and wanting to learn more about personal interests. Other reasons were described as personal and instrumental.
• The most common reasons for not learning were a lack of time and a lack of interest in learning; 25% said they have done enough learning in their life and 22% believed themselves too old to learn. Family responsibilities were also important.
• Barriers to learning included disabilities (particularly limited mobility), difficulties with communicating (e.g., hearing, speaking), limited energy, and inability to live independently.
• Most preferred learning with others. Learning online can be isolating but can also lead to new interests and contacts.

Department of Education and Science, Ireland. (2000) Learning for life: White paper on adult education. Dublin: Department of Education and Science. ERIC Reproduction Document ED 471 201.

Lifelong learning became a governing principle of Irish educational policy in 2000. Participation trends in education were assessed including early school leaving by males, poor educational levels of older adults, low literacy levels throughout the population, and educational barriers experienced by women. Resulting government priorities for development of adult education emphasized these three core principles: (1) a systematic, holistic approach recognizing different levels of educational provision; (2) equality of access, participation, and outcome for adult learners with an emphasis on marginalized groups and those most at risk for failure; (3) acknowledgments of inter-culturalism that while Ireland is culturally heterogeneous, promotion of Irish language and culture through education is important. Specific policies proposed centered on expanding the flexibility and supply of core programs and services at the school, community, workplace, and higher education levels and on fee relief for those most at risk in those programs.

ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education (ERIC EC) (2000) Adults with learning disabilities. Accessed November 12, 2005 from http://ericec.org/faq/ld-adult.html

This summary document provides links to ERIC digests, minibibliographies, frequently asked questions (FAQs), related internet resources, and internet discussion groups, as well as selected citations from the ERIC Database

Research has shown that learning disabilities do not disappear when one leaves school and that they occur across an individual's lifespan. Adults with LD show a wide array of critical characteristics that are problematic for them in their education, vocation, self-esteem, social interactions and independent living. Academic skills that were not mastered during school-age years remain difficult. Problems arise in reading, math, spelling and writing. There is a high probability that the source of the problems underlying the disability are psychological processes including cognition, perception, language, attention, motor abilities, and social skills.