An Educator's Guide to Learning Disabilities and Mobility Impairments

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Introduction

As with hearing and visual impairments, persons with learning disabilities and mobility impairments face access issues in education. This begins in the classroom and continues with the use of technology and web page access.

Learning Disabilities

"A learning disability is a permanent disorder that affects the way individuals with normal or above normal intelligence receive, store, organize, and retrieve information." (NM-LDA) Common learning disabilities include Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), dyslexia, dysphagia, and dyspraxia. Attention Deficit Disorder takes place in children and adolescents and is characterized by impairment in perception, conceptualization, language, memory, and motor skills. As its name implies, children with ADD have a decreased attention span and are hyperactive. (Anderson, 146) Dyslexia is an impairment of the ability to read. A dyslexic person is often characterized by reversing letters and words, and may have trouble distinguishing letter sequences in written words. (Anderson, 515) Dysphagia is a motor disorder of the esophagus. A person with dysphagia might have trouble reading aloud. (Anderson, 516) Dyspraxia is a defect in motor and sensory functions. It is characterized by an inability to perform coordinated movements. (Anderson, 516)

In the classroom, students with learning disabilities can be hindered by standard print materials such as textbooks, handouts, worksheets and texts. These students typically have access to some type of "resource room" where teachers can read the information to them and provide them with one on one assistance. This type of situation provides the student with a nontraditional environment with minimal distractions. Teachers should allow students access to their notes or to another student's notes if necessary. The teacher may also need to modify his/her teaching style(s) to accommodate a learning disabled student, an example of this might be to present a lecture in a multimedia format. The teacher should also allow extra time for the student to complete work, and give the student access to a tutor if necessary. Assistive technologies for students with learning disabilities might include screen reader software. Screen reading software is typically used with blind computer users that need visual information to be spoken or presented in Braille, but could also be used with persons having learning disabilities such as dyslexia. Screen Reading software can be used to translate information shown on the screen into spoken words using a speech synthesizer.

One increasing problem for those with learning disabilities is access to the Internet. As the Internet continues to rapidly expand, so does the complexity of web sites which typically present problems for someone with a learning disability. Some suggestions for accessible web sites for the learning disabled include the following:

  • Web pages (sites) should have a simple and consistent format. This will make the sites easier to navigate through. Buttons, menu bars, and graphics used on multiple pages should be placed in the same location on each page to avoid confusion.
  • Web pages should use background/text colors that contrast well. This will particularly help dyslexics. If there is not enough contrast on the page the dyslexic person will have more difficulty reading it.
  • Avoid using background images. Background images tend to blend in with the text for a dyslexic person. If a background image is used, its color should be light and contrast well with the text color.
  • Use of Graphics. Graphics may help those users that have trouble reading or understanding the content of the page.

    Mobility Impairments

    "A person with a mobility impairment has a physical condition which limits the individuals' ability to navigate their environment." (Xavier University, Physical Disabilities) A person with a mobility impairment may use a wheelchair, an assistive walking device or a prosthesis.

    A teacher with a student in class who has a mobility impairment may have to make accommodations for the student. It is important that the classroom is accessible to the student. This may mean that the teacher has to arrange the classroom in a different configuration. It is imperative that the teacher does not isolate the student. As far as learning, the student with the mobility impairment may require use of a note taker or a tape recorder. The student may also need extra time to complete assignments and tests, and tests may need to be administered orally or with the use of a writer.

    For computer and Internet access, the mobility impaired student may require use of an adaptive technology such as a keyboard or mouse alternative. Keyboard and mouse alternatives are things such as trackballs, enlarged keyboards, and touchpads.

  • Expert Mouse Trackball
  • HeadMouse

    Internet access is typically overcome if the person with the impairment is using an adaptive technology. One suggestion for web page authors is to design pages with large buttons. This will provide an easier target for the user if his/her hand movement are restricted.

Bibliography

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