Daily Archive for July 3rd, 2008

When children and youth with Learning Disabilities grow up, they often report that the difficulties they faced in schools are repeated in the work-a-day world. In “Disabled and Driven: Woman faces challenges of unseen disability and a lack of understanding,” Mary Rae Bragg of the Dubuque (IA, US) Telegraph Herald relates the experience of a person identified only as “Judy” who encountered difficulty securing accommodations in her workplace.

Judy’s learning disability was not diagnosed until years after she graduated from Hempstead High School and had a family of her own.

Withdrawn and quiet as a teenager, Judy said she became “invisible” in high school, working twice as hard as others to get C’s. Compensating for poor English and math skills, she turned to the art classes she loved.

Once Judy left high school, she retreated into a life apart from the education experience that made her feel “stupid.”

Ms. Bragg’s article tells the full story. Here’s a link to it.

For those interested in learning about the views of adults with Learning Disabilities, there are many excellent sources:

Gerber, P. J. (1991). Speaking for themselves: Ethnographic interviews with adults with learning disabilities. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

Rodis, P., Garrod, A., Boscardin, M. L. (2001). Learning disabilities & life stories. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.