learning disabilities and the workplace
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Learning Disabilities & the Workplace
Jenna KnightJanuary 25, 2012
What is a Learning Disability
A learning disability is one of a group of neurological disorders that affect the brain’s ability to receive, process, store, and respond to information. Learning disabilities can affect a person’s ability in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and mathematics.
Types of Learning Disabilities
Dyslexia • Reads slowly and painfully; reads below the expected level
• Has trouble with spelling
• May have difficulty with handwriting
• Exhibits difficulty recalling known words; has poor memory skills
• May also experience difficulty with math computations
• Has difficulty organizing and managing time
Dyspraxia
• Trouble with speech control – volume, pitch, and articulation. This can cause severe social awkwardness and unwillingness to attempt social interactions.
• Extreme sensitivity to light, touch, space, taste, smells
• Very clumsy, poor coordination
Types of Learning Disabilities
Dyscalculia
• Has difficulty learning math concepts beyond the basic math facts
• Has poor ability to budget or balance a checkbook, make change, handle money
• Has difficulty sequencing information or events
• Has trouble with time concepts such as sticking to a schedule or estimating time
• Has difficulty understanding concepts related to time such as days, weeks, months, seasons, quarters, etc.
• Has difficulty estimating costs like groceries or bills
Dysgraphia
• Large gap between written ideas and understanding demonstrated verbally
• Inconsistent spacing between words and letters
• Exhibits strange wrist, body or paper position
• Has difficulty organizing thoughts on paper
• Has trouble keeping track of thoughts already written down
• Has great difficulty thinking and writing at the same time (taking notes, creative writing.
Strengths & Challenges in the Workplace
Challenges
• Inefficiency
• Problems Learning a Sequence of Tasks
• High Error Rate with Tasks Involving Academic Skills
• Time Management
• Poor Self Esteem:
Strengths
• Determination
• Creativity
• Specialized Talents
Keys to Success
1. A powerful desire to succeed
2. A clear sense of goal orientation
3. Reframing the LD experience: accepting the disability, understanding their strengths and weakness and taking action towards that goal
4. Learned creativity – unique indiduvals ways to accomplish compensate strategies for the weakness
5. A social network that provides support rather than encouraging dependence
Common Misconceptions –
Preventing Job Advancement
1. I don’t deserve to be promoted I should be grateful to have a job
2. People don’t like me, maybe I'm just unlikeable
3. I cant get another job I am just stuck here
Effective Job Search
1. Assess your strengths
2. Note Patterns
3. Read and Learn
4. Talk & Clarify
5. Observe and Fine tune
6. Assess Needed Support Systems
7. Prepare to close the deal
8. Use the honeymoon Period
9. Plan periodic sessions
Choosing the Right Job
1. The job
2. Personality of the direct supervisor
3. Personality of your co-workers
4. Environment
5. Company Values
Employment Assistance for People with Disabilities
1. Vocational Rehabilitation
2. Easter Seals
3. Goodwill Industries
Self-Advocacy in the Workplace
1. Familiarize your self with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehab Act
2. Get help determining what accommodations, strategies, and technology will help you
3. Indentify who you will discuss your needs with in the workplace
4. Know what you want, and how you are going to ask before you begin a first conversation.
5. Update & Reevaluate
Learning Disabilities and the Americans with Disabilities Act
• The ADA does not contain a list of medical conditions that constitute disabilities. Instead, the ADA has a general definition of disability that each person must meet (EEOC, 1992). Therefore, some people with learning disabilities will have a disability under the ADA and some will not.
• A person has a disability if he/she has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such impairment, or is regarded as having such impairment (EEOC, 1992). To be a disability covered by the ADA, the impairment must substantially limit one or more major life activities. These are activities that an average person can perform with little or no difficulty. Examples are: walking, seeing, speaking, hearing, breathing, learning, performing manual tasks, caring for oneself, and working. These are examples only. Other activities such as sitting, standing, lifting, or reading are also major life activities (EEOC,
1992).
Disclosure
Disclosure refers to telling a supervisor, co
worker or others about your disability.
Disclosure is one of the most difficult decisions you
can make. It’s a personal decision that requires a lot
of thought and planning. You need to carefully plan
how you wish to disclose and think about the
possible implications this action has for everyone
involved
Disclosure
When should you disclose?
Though there is certainly no one “right” time and place to disclose, it is will
depend on the individual situation. When you decided to disclose your learning
disability to your employer, there maybe settings and circumstances .
Before the interview
If you are going to need an accommodation for the interview , you must tell
the employer. For example, if you have a learning disability and you know that
there is a test that is given during the interview, you might request that you
take the test in a quiet area.
Disclosure
During the Interview
Talking to the employer about your disability at the interview will let them
know what supports and services you need to do the job. Make sure you talk
about your skills and give examples of what you will need to do the job.
After you have been offered the job
If you need an accommodation to do the job you are offered you will need to
tell the employer
While you are working
Now that you are working at the job, you may need an accommodation. In
order for the employer to give you the accommodation, you will need to
disclose.
Advantages of Disclosure
Some of the advantages of disclosure are:
• It reduces stress. Many people say that it is more stressful trying to hide their disability than it is to tell.
• It makes it easier to talk about the accommodations you may need.
• You don’t have to worry that someone you used to work for, or a reference will tell that you have a disability.
• You will be able to talk to your employer if you have any changes in your situation.
Disadvantage of Disclosure
Disadvantages of disclosing are:
• You could be treated differently.
• It could cause you to be overlooked for a promotion.
• Co-workers could ask you questions about your disability.
• You could be excluded from activities.
• You could worry about bad experiences that happened in the past happening again, such as losing a job or negative reactions from your co-workers.
• It can be difficult and sometimes embarrassing.
What is an Accommodations
An accommodation is essentially any strategy that gets rid of or lessens the
effect of a specific barrier. Accommodations are used to help individuals with
disabilities learn or demonstrate what they have learned, and to work
independently & efficiently as possible.
Accommodations are NOT intended to justify or compensate for the lack of
knowledge, skills or abilities necessary to succeed. Whenever possible,
accommodations should be based on the use and further development of
Existing skills and capabilities
Types of Accommodations
Reading
• Reading from a paper copy:
• Convert text to audio
• Provide larger print
• Double space the text on print material
• Use color overlays (Irlen lenses) to help make the text easier to read
• Provide materials that are type-written, in a font that is not italicized; if handwritten material must be provided, use print, not cursive
• Have someone read the document aloud to the individual
• Scan the documents into a computer and use Optical Character Recognition (OCR), which will read the information aloud
• Use a reading pen, which is a portable device that scans a word and provides auditory feedback
Accommodations Continued
Spelling
• Allow use of reference materials such as dictionary or thesaurus
• Provide electronic and talking dictionaries
• Use word prediction software that displays a list of words that typically follow the word that was entered
• in a document
• Use word completion software that displays sample words after someone starts typing part of a word
• Allow buddy, coworker, or supervisor to proofread written material
Accommodations
Organizational Skills
• Help employee reduce clutter in work area
• Hire a professional organizer
• Use color-code system to label or identify materials
• Use calendars (paper, electronic, or both) to remind of deadlines, meetings, upcoming tasks
• Build organization skills by attending time management workshops, like those offered by Franklin Covey
• Build organization skills through self-education at sites like mindtools.com
Situations and Solutions
• A teacher with a learning disability had difficulty spelling words correctly on the chalkboard. The employer provided an overhead projector with plenty of blank overhead sheets. The teacher wrote words, phrases, ors sentences on the overhead sheets then let a fellow teacher check for accuracy. Now the teacher can forgo using the chalkboard; instead the teacher can display information from the projector.
• A researcher in a technology company had expressive writing disorder. The employee's job tasks included gathering information for written reports. To accommodate this employee, Inspiration software was provided to help the employee organize, prioritize, and then outline the information for reports. The employer also provided a hard copy dictionary and thesaurus.
Discrimination
• If you believe you have been discriminated against by an employer, labor union or employment agency when applying for a job or while on the job because of your race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, or believe that you have been discriminated against because of opposing a prohibited practice or participating in an equal employment opportunity matter, you may file a charge of discrimination with the EEOC. Charges may be filed in person, by mail or by telephone by contacting the nearest EEOC office.
• For more detailed information or to locate the EEOC office nearest you, contact the EEOC at 800-669-4000 or visit the EEOC website
http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/howtofil.html
Q & A
BibliographyJob Discrimination -
http://www.help4adhd.org/en/systems/legal/discrimination
Facilitator Notes: Learning Disabilities, Center for Continuing Education In
Rehabilitation, University of Washington
http://www.ccer.org/_public/site/files/30min/LD%20Facilitator%20version.pdf
Ten Job Hunting Tips for the Unfocused
http://excelle.monster.com/benefits/articles/2265-10-job-hunting-tips-for-the-
unfocused
Accommodations & Compliance Series: Employees with Learning Disabilities
Cornell University, ILR School
Disclosure Fact Sheet, Work Matters, Maryland Department of Disabilities
http://www.mdod.maryland.gov/News%20and%20Publications.aspx?id=1974
Self-Advocacy in the Workplace, Learning Disability Association of America, 2004
https://ldaamerica.ixwebhosting.com/aboutld/adults/workplace/print_self-
advocacy.asp
Accommodation & Compliance Series: Employees with Learning Disabilities, Job Accommodation
Network, February 3, 2010
http://askjan.org/media/lear.htm
