Program Implementation

Tips to Implementation: It is important to understand the purpose of screening and diagnosis and to follow through with the critical services and supports that make a difference. The challenge of today's "fix-it" mentality is that while hidden, learning disabilities and many related or co-accompanying disorders are lifelong conditions. They do not go away after discovery or diagnosis. The belief is that if an individual is diagnosed with and informed about a learning disability, it will change and all will be well. However, progress does not occur without a true understanding of self and well developed self-determination skills, which take support and time to develop.

The more the field learns about disability and diversity, the more we see incongruence. While learning disabilities are not isolated to one culture or ethnic group, the meaning and acceptance of the term disability is not consistently embraced. Western culture suggests an operational flow of identification of the weakness or what is wrong together with a plan to correct or remove it. Many cultures and ethnicities uphold the strengths-based model, focusing on the attributes of the individual while minimizing weaknesses. This aspect of diversity is not well understood or addressed within systems.

In the whole of learning disabilities and identification the questions are: What are we striving for? What do we want? There are numerous concerns that must be addressed, including diversity values, alternative testing methods for those whose primary language is not English, transition planning and career development for adults, self-determination development, and accommodations.

The majority of people diagnosed with a learning disability have co-accompanying disorders that also are not addressed. Research has shown that learning disabilities are genetic. Thus, a welfare recipient may have children who also have learning disabilities. The model of service must employ a whole person-whole family approach.

Keys to Success:

• Go beyond talk to taking action.
• Employ a learner-centered approach, always leveraging an individual's strengths, styles, and abilities.
• Have high expectations; people tend to live up to the expectations of someone they respect.
• Adopt an attitude of honoring learners with true acceptance and understanding.
• Recognize that more upfront time and energy in the service delivery model will lead to success at the end with less total time spent.