THE INFORMER PAGE 4

FEBRUARY 18, 1992

Learning Disabilities

The term “learning disability” brings to most minds
frightening terms like “dyslexia”. There are others:
“dysgraphia, dyscalculia” which describe writing and
math comprehension problems respectively. But the
Achievement Resource Centre's Dr. Dennis Wright says
all these words restrict us. He prefers to define a learn-
ing disabled person as “a person with normal intelli-
gence who has difficulty learning due to some interrup-
tion in the way they manipulate or express informa-
tion.”

He says the problem may show up in the way a
person takes tests, writes an essay or reads a textbook.
Many people who have managed through high school
will be overwhelmed by the higher demands of college
courses.

Dennis says many people have learning disabilities;
it is only a problem when it prevents you from success.
Essentially, the “learning disabled” person is an individ-
ual who has a unique way of processing information.
ARC’s work is to find the most efficient way for that
person to survive in the College environment. “We
maximize a person's strengths, and compensate for the
weaknesses.”

Cap is known throughout the province for its work
in the field, and it has been a leader for the past six
years in challenging the concepts of learning disabili-
ties. “We are constantly pushing the edge,” says Dennis.
Part of his job has been to tour the province speaking to
other colleges about Cap’s work in the area and make
presentations at ministerial conferences.

When students arrive at the ARC door, half the
time it is because they've discovered they can’t keep up

Photos - Wed. Feb. 26 Articles: Mon, Mar. 2

under the new pressures of college life. There’s an
enormous increase in reading demands and writing,
says Dennis: instructional techniques are different,
textbooks are more difficult and plentiful, and they have
lost the high school support services. “Subconsciously or
consciously these people already recognize they are not
super academics, but at college, they are forced to be.”

The other half of ARC's clients are those who have a
history of problems. They may or may not have been
referred to ARC from the high school system. A gap in
the information flow may be working in the students’
favour, says Dennis. “They should be given the chance
to make a clean start.” ARC is there if they discover
they still need assistance, and its mandate is artfully
depicted in a video called “The Revolving Door”. Here
the learning disabled student is shown coming in the
open door the community college offers, then walking
right back out again. ARC instructors and staff —
Dennis, Jan Shiel, Susan Murray, Lynne Hamilton and
Ruth D'hollander — intercept where they can.

The first step is assessment. This is what Dennis
and Jan do, giving the student a variety of tests to
pinpoint the problem. From there, they are directed to
Adult Basic Education courses for upgrading, or to a
variety of ARC courses in study and reading skills, and
time management. They also assist in course selection,
suggesting alternative programs where prudent, and
working with instructors to modify examination meth-
ods. Dennis says instructors are exceptionally suppor-
tive in adjusting for the student. Other approaches are
to set up a buddy system, offer help in note taking, sup-
port with word processing, or simply, a tape recorder so
the student can listen again to parts of a lecture they
had trouble understanding.

The immediate goal is survival in the college sys-
tem, says Dennis. His long-term goal is to develop more
transition programs so that students are better pre-
pared for college before they run into problems.

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