“Walk a Mile in My
Shoes”
LD Simulation Workshop
Linda Barbetta – Executive Director
“Imagine going to work and not being able
to do your job. Now imagine that you can't
leave your job. Imagine having to do that
every day. This is what life is like for
children with learning disabilities.“
-- Dr. David Urion
Director, Neurology and Learning Disabilities
Program, Children's Hospital, Boston
The Learning Process
A person with a learning disability has difficulty taking
in, remembering, or expressing information.
INFORMATION
Taking in information
MEMORY
Understanding,
Processing and
Filing it to
Memory
EXPRESSION
Withdrawing
information and
using it in the
outside world
Facts about Learning
Disabilities

Neurobiological disorder – very misunderstood because of
“invisibility”

Average to above average intellectual ability

Affects all areas of life, not just education

You do not out grow it.

10% of Canadians have an LD
Over 3 million people in Canada have a learning
disability – that’s a lot of vulnerable kids!
Impact of Learning Disabilities
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES FOR PEOPLE
WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES (LD)

For those with LD who are working, the average income is
$14,000/year, whereas, in the general population the average
income per year is $23,000.

43% of the LD population live at or below the poverty line; in the
general population those who live below the poverty line represent
18%.

48% of the LD population are out of the work force or unemployed,
whereas, only 26% of the general population is out of the work force
or unemployed.

Up to 60% of adolescents in treatment for substance abuse have
identified LD (Source: Hazelden Foundation, Minnesota, 1992).
More Stats…
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35% of students with LD drop out of high school -twice the rate of
their non LD peers (Source: National Longitudinal Transition Study,
Wagner, 1991 ).
62% of students with LD were unemployed one year after
graduating from high school (Source: National Longitudinal
Transition Study, Wagner, 1991 ).
50% of females with LD were single mothers within three to five
years after leaving school (Source: N. L. T. Study, Wagner, 1991).
10%-12% of adolescents with LD become involved with the criminal
justice system compared to 2.5% of the general population (Source:
Ontario government, 1986).
“Walk a Mile in My Shoes”
Workshop
Workshop adapted from:
The Learning Disabilities Association-Vancouver
3292 E Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. Canada V5M 1Z8
The following presentation is designed
to foster a better understanding of
Learning Disabilities. It is not intended
as a substitute for professional
diagnosis, treatment or advice.
Reading Disabilities - Dyslexia


Now class, we’re all going to read a short story. Many of
you will be given the opportunity to participate.
DO NOT READ AHEAD! JUST FOLLOW ALONG.
If you’ve done your homework this should be relatively
easy. To ensure success, I’ll give you some tips.
POPCORN STORY
Dysgraphia and Far Point
Copying
Please turn to the next
page in your workbook.
Writing and Printing Difficulties
Use your non-dominant hand to perform the following tasks
Copy the designs you see below with your neatest and
quickest skill
Far Point Copying Difficulty
Difficulty in holding a visual image in your head
and then reproducing it.
Areas of difficulties:


Problems copying notes from
the board, overhead, or other
sources
May lose their place after
looking away or being
distracted
Helpful Strategies:

Provide a copy of the lesson/lecture
notes ahead of time

Place horizontal and/or vertical lines
across sections of the blackboard,
overhead, etc. to help give reference
points

Write blackboard information as two
columns on the board – ensures you
don’t have to erase information as
quickly

Have fewer visual distractions on
blackboard or on overhead

Provide a highlighter or ruler for
student to use while following along
WORD WALL
DYSGRAPHIA
Difficulty in with eye-hand associations and so are
unable to write efficiently.
Areas of difficulties:





Forming letters/numbers
Helpful Strategies:

Give notes for a lecture or lesson to the
student ahead of time to follow along
with
Struggles to write on a straight
line

Give students “cloze” activities instead
of writing out entire sets of notes
Difficulty holding a pencil

Let student use a laptop to write
Improper spacing of letters within
words or words within sentences

Give shorter assignments (quality vs.
quantity)

Allow additional time for written work

Be a scribe for the student (let them tell
you their answers/ideas for tests or
assignments orally)
Copying figures that require a
series of hand movements.
Example of Dysgraphia
DYSLEXIA
Difficulty with reading, writing, spelling, and
comprehending material
Areas of Difficulty:

Breaking words down into
individual sounds or blending
sounds together to read quickly
and accurately
Helpful Strategies:

Use pictures to supplement
written material

Keep reading material short &
simple

Reading fluency – reading skills
are slow and effortful

Mix up letters and sounds like
b,p,q,d, reading “dog” as “god”

Differentiating spaces between
words and punctuation

Be patient and provide extra
time for reading

Following a line of type

Allow students to listen to books
as mp3s or on CD

Reading comprehension – focus
of energy is on decoding, not
understanding what is being
read



Help kids preview material that
needs to be read (explain new
terms, highlight important
concepts)
Give kids time to practice before
they will read anything out loud
Avoid singling kids out to read in
front of class – use echo or
choral reading
Written Example
Text written by a 13 year old with dyslexia:
he way I descride a bumby ride is like wothgan mowtsarts
mowsek. eshe bumby rowd is like a song. Eshe bumb is the
a note eche uncon at the sam time ste is. that was the
mewstere to mowts mowsuk it was vare metereus and
unperdekdable.So the nex time you drive down a bumby
theak of mowtsart.
Same text, read orally by the 13 year old and scribed:
The way I describe a bumpy ride is like Wolfgang Mozart's
music. Each bumpy road is like a song. Each bump in the
road is a note. Each bump is uncontrolled at the same
time it still is controlled. That was the magic to Mozart's
music. It was very mysterious and unpredictable. So the
next time you drive down a bumpy road think of Mozart.
Math Test
We have been studying adding and
subtracting this week, so this should be
easy for you.
Processing Deficits - Auditory
Areas of Difficulty:

Following multi-step instructions

Memory for information given orally

Responding quickly to oral
questions or directions –
participating in class discussions

Attending to a preferred message
when there is background noise

Discriminating between different
word sounds (e.g bear & pair)
*NOT hard of hearing or deafnesscapable of hearing, difficulty
processing what they hear
Helpful Strategies:

Speak more slowly

Provide instructions and
information in small chunks

Simplify verbal directions

Repeat verbal instructions to the
student privately after a group
lesson

Provide written copies of oral
information for student to refer to

Give substantial time for students
to answer oral questions

Decrease environmental
distractions and background noise

Don’t assume child is unmotivated
or lazy – consider they might not
have had time to process your
instructions or questions!
Assessment & Evaluation
Let’s Reflect!
Questions?
Thank you and Remember
There is no challenge as great as a little boy
in school when he doesn’t want to be there…
and no one as courageous as a teacher who
wants to change his mind.
