V. Dion Haynes
Washington Post
Dear Mr. Haynes,
In your article about changes in the administration of special education in Washington (DC, US), entitled “Special-Ed Getting New Computer System, Staff” appearing 27 February 2008 on page B04,” you used the term “Learning Disabilities” as a generic reference for students with various other, legally recognized disabilities. Here is an extract (my underlining):
For years, city and school officials have criticized programs provided by the D.C. schools’ special education office, which serves 9,400 students with physical or learning disabilities. The school system spends about $137 million a year on private school tuition for about 2,400 children it cannot serve in the public schools.
Specific Learning Disabilities is a specific category of disability under US federal law (Public Law 108-446, 108th Congress), and it is expressly differentiated from mental retardation, emotional disturbance, and other disabilities. It is not a generic term and should not be used to refer to multiple categories of disabilities. Although it may seem trivial to some, this difference is important to many. Using the term “learning disabilities” as a generic obscures important differences in students and may even undermine efforts by parents and educators to seek services for students who have learning disabilities, emotional or behavioral disorders, intellectual disabilities, autism, and speech-language disorders (among others).
I hope that this note is helpful. Thank you for your reporting of the substantive content in your article (which I’ve covered elsewhere).
John Wills Lloyd, Ph.D.
Editor, LD Blog
Professor, University of Virginia
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Lehigh University will offer a conference on special education law in May under the title, “Special Education Law: A Roadmap of Reality, Resolution, and Remedies.” The special one-day meeting, which is the 36th annual installment in the series, features many interesting topics including a keynote by Perry Zirkel, noted authority on legal issues in Learning Disabilities and related areas of special education.
The conference is scheduled for 9 May 2008 and will be held in Bethlehem (PA, US). Link to the agenda for the conference.
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Every year, the past president of the Division for Learning Disabilities presents candidates for offices in the Division for Learning Disabilities (DLD). This year, Karen Rooney has assembled an outstanding slate of candidates for whom members of DLD can vote.
| For secretary |
Erica Lembke
University of Missouri, Columbia, MO |
June Szabo-Kifer
Bishop Garcia Diego High School, Santa Barbara, CA |
| |
| For vice president |
Gary Troia
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI |
Linda Siegel
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC |
| |
| For president-elect |
Anthony Van Reusen
California State University, Bakersfield, CA |
Kenneth Kavale
Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA. |
Members, jump to TeachingLD to vote.
If you’re a member of CEC but not a member of DLD, you can still join in time to vote. If you already belong to CEC, you can call CEC’s Constituent Services Center US toll free at (888) 232-7733 [TTY (703) 264-9446] and add DLD membership for just $20. If you’re not a member of CEC, it’s a bit more costly, but you can join CEC and DLD in time to vote; just call the same number.
Disclosure: I’m a former officer of DLD and currently serve as the organization’s executive director.
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Joanne Jacobs has a post entitled “The illiterate teacher” about author John Corcoran who reports in a book that he “taught high school social studies, bookkeeping and P.E. for 17 years despite being illiterate.” Ms. Jacobs reported that Mr. Corcoran, who’s book is The Teacher Who Couldn’t Read, also funds a foundation that promotes reading instruction. According to the John Corcoran Foundation Web site, Mr. Corcoran has also written another book, Bridge to Literacy: No Child - or Adult Left Behind.
Link to Ms. Jacob’s post. See also the John Corcoran Foundation Web site.
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J. Lee Wiederholt
J. Lee Wiederholt
J. Lee Wiederholt, a widely published author in special education and assessment, died 19 August 2007. After obtaining a doctorate from Temple University, Professor Wiederholt served as a member of the faculty at the University of Arizona and University of Texas. For much of his career, he was also affiliated with Pro-Ed, a publishing firm that specialized in tests, books, curricular materials, and journals in the area of special education and related disciplines. For ten years he served as editor of the Journal of Learning Disabilities.
As an academic, Professor Wiederholt provided valuable contributions to our understanding of Learning Disabilities. In 1974 he authored an important history of Learning Disabilities that is still routinely cited in texts and other histories of the discipline. For ten years he served as editor of the Journal of Learning Disabilities. As an author and publisher, he developed widely employed assessments such as the TOAL-4: Test of Adolescent and Adult Language and the GORT-4: Gray Oral Reading Tests, among many others.
Thanks to the Donald D. Hammill Foundation for providing the accompanying photograph.
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