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Indicator 14 is a federal accountability initiative that attempts to generate data on the outcomes of students with disabilities 1 year after leaving high school. Currently, there are only two areas, postsecondary education/training and employment, mandated for examination. Ultimately, the data are used to develop specific goals for 6-year State Performance Plans. This study reports the variability of the data collection instruments in areas of inquiry and number of items in the instruments of all 50 states. Commentary is made regarding the positive and negative aspects as well as missed opportunities in the data collection process for Indicator 14.

Indicator 14: Post-School Outcomes are assessed each year by every school district in every state to evaluate outcomes for all students with disabilities, including learning disabilities, beyond secondary school. Data collection is mandated to focus on post-secondary education and employment status just after leaving school-age programs. Some states focus on the mandated areas of the directive, while others query additional areas of post-school adjustment. Data trends are used to update and improve State Performance Plans (SPPs) and are submitted to the U. S. Department of Education. There is wide variability in what areas of adjustment are measured and how they are measured. A content analysis is presented of state data collection protocols within the conceptual frameworks of life skills functioning. Recommendations pertaining to a larger sub-set of the data, students with learning disabilities, to improve data usage are included.

The impact of employment laws pertaining to individuals with learning disabilities in Canada and dyslexia in the UK were investigated via the extant research literature. Currently, there is very little research in this area despite Canada and the UK having laws in effect for decades. Surprisingly, their laws have been revamped despite an absence of data that measures impact and effectiveness. This finding is not unlike the Americans with Disabilities Act, reauthorized as the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments in 2008, without substantive research to guide legal policies and practices going forward. Investigation in this area is needed to seek the positive and negative effects of legislation on those with learning disabilities in Canada and dyslexia in the UK, a high incidence population that finds most employment opportunities in competitive employment.

It is now well established that learning disabilities (LD) persist into the adult years, yet despite a developing literature base in this area, there is a paucity of evidence-based research to guide research and practice. Consistent with the demands of the adult stage of development, autonomy and self-determination are crucial to quality-of-life issues to adults in general, and specifically to adults with LD. There are many areas of functioning in which adults need to adapt successfully, such as employment, family, social and emotional, daily living routines, community, and recreation and leisure. In essence, there are a myriad of challenges and outcomes as adults navigate the trials and tribulations of LD as it manifests itself into adulthood. This review of the extant evidence-based literature seeks to discover relevant knowledge that can be shared with practitioners who serve adults with LD in a variety of professional and volunteer roles, particularly in adult education settings. (Contains 1 table.)

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and its amendments have been in existence for a little more than twenty years. Title One, which pertains to employment, has had a bearing on employment for persons with disabilities, particularly the high incidence category of learning disabilities, who for the most part work in competitive employment settings. This article examines two data sets--the research on employment of individuals with learning disabilities before and in the ADA era. Analysis shows that with the extant research, it is difficult to conclude that the ADA has made a significant impact thus far, despite testimonials of success in employment settings since its inception. Suggestions are included on how to pursue research in this area. (Contains 2 tables.)

Now almost 15 years after the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) data are emerging in the literature related to job entry and employment outcomes of adults with learning disabilities (LD). Although these data are derived from varying methodologies, they converge in three critical areas: Knowledge of the ADA, realities of workplace self-disclosure, and the importance of self-determination. This review presents findings in each of these areas. The messages obtained from adults with LD who experience the realities of the workplace can provide significant information for secondary programs that assist students with hidden disabilities preparing to transition to college or to employment.

Self-disclosure for adults with learning disabilities is very complex after the beyond-school years. The issues of invisibility, risk/benefit, and the multiple contexts of adult functioning create many challenges in the process of disclosure. Moreover, self-disclosure, one element of the larger issue of self-determination, is viewed as an entry point that needs to be followed-up with effective self-advocacy. Practical issues that need to be considered in the choice whether or not to disclose and how to disclose are discussed. All ideas proffered in the discussion of disclosure are gleaned from a national research study on adults with learning disabilities.

This article explored the use of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by individuals with learning disabilities (LD) in the workplace. A review of the extant literature revealed that people with LD were not likely to use the ADA as employees. Moreover, an analysis of selected, commonly used materials regarding transition indicated a lack of substantive information about the ADA for students with LD and professionals. In essence, the ADA is being underused during the beyond-school years by individuals with LD. Thus, the ADA has not realized its anticipated impact because people with LD largely have not benefited from the ADA legislation.

With the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in the United States and the Canadian Chartre of Rights and Freedoms, there is a new work environment for individuals with learning disabilities (LD) in North America. This qualitative study sought to compare the employment experiences of 25 U. S. adults with LD and 24 Canadian adults with LD. Areas of comparison were job getting, experiences on the job, and job advancement. Remarkably, the U. S. and Canadian adults with LD had nearly the same employment experiences. In essence, each set of data mirrored the other despite marked differences in U. S. and Canadian federal disability legislation.

Twenty-five adults with learning disabilities were queried to examine their employment experiences at job entry and in job advancement vis-a-vis the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Results suggest that Title 1 of the ADA is underutilized by individuals with learning disabilities in the workplace. Self-disclosure about disability was rare and reasonable accommodations were infrequently used. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)

This paper synthesizes empirical studies from the past 12 years concerning the realities of the workplace for adults with learning disabilities (LD). Employer perspectives address awareness and knowledge, productivity, training, self-advocacy, and reasonable accommodations. Employee perspectives cover advocacy, disclosure, self-knowledge, and reasonable accommodations. (Contains references.) (DB)

This introductory article on adults with learning disabilities considers historical antecedents, the role of public policy (the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act), the movement within the field of learning disabilities emphasizing transition to adulthood, and the continuance of public policy initiatives, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. (Contains references.) (DB)

Interviews with 70 successful people with learning disabilities resulted in a model for successful employment. Elements include control, internal decision, adaptability, goal orientation, reframing, persistence, goodness of fit, learned creativity, proactivity, and social ecologies. (JOW)

Previous findings on employer knowledge about learning disabilities were compared to 25 employers from Pennsylvania and Virginia. Findings indicate that employers are continuing to make efforts to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 regulations but have little knowledge or experience with it in terms of learning disabilities. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This article contains a series of recommendations to improve collaborative teaching culled from interviews with administrators, teachers, parents, and students from 10 schools. General recommendations addressing service delivery, administrative, and communication issues are included, along with training recommendations for new and indirectly involved personnel, parents, and university pre- and inservice programs. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Discusses the failure to identify learning disabilities in female students and the long-term consequences, including dependency on welfare programs. Stresses the need to modify identification procedures to increase sensitivity to learning disabilities in females and to adjust special-education programs to meet the needs of females. (CR)

This study used focus groups to examine the perspectives of students with and without learning disabilities and their parents regarding collaborative teaching. Both students and parents expressed high levels of satisfaction with the model. Concerns included poor communication regarding the model to parents, the need to ensure alternative models when needed, and lack of continuity across grade levels. (Author/DB)

Synthesizes information from a 1995 international symposium on longitudinal research in learning disabilities. Discussion of generic considerations of longitudinal research is followed by examination of issues specific to learning disabilities including definition, attrition, composition of research teams, ethical concerns, data collection, and the need for more longitudinal research. (DB)

Focuses on environmental issues that affect learning disabilities and provides a rationale for learning disabilities as a public health and economic-risk issue. The link between learning disabilities and poverty and the impact of low birth weight and lead poisoning are discussed. Action steps are provided. (CR)

This article discusses theory, related literature, methods, and techniques related to the process of reframing the learning disabilities experience of adults to achieve employment success and adjustment. It covers various stages of the reframing process and argues that successful reframing is imperative if the individual is to take control of his/her learning disability in adult life. (Author/DB)

This article proposes use of a life-span developmental perspective in research on adults with learning disabilities. Considerations for incorporating such essential concepts as mediating variables, context, and age-span phases into research on this population are discussed. (DB)

This study of 46 highly successful and 25 moderately successful adults with learning disabilities found that the overriding theme in their successful functioning was control. Control was sought through making conscious decisions to take charge of one's life and through adapting and shaping oneself to move ahead. (Author/JDD)

The author of EC 604 973 comments on his case study of a first-year teacher with a learning disability. These reflections focus on the emotions of the first-year subject, the use of the case study approach, and methods of assisting teachers with learning disabilities in the workplace. (JDD)

A case study is presented of a first-year teacher with learning disabilities instructing students with learning disabilities. The case study discusses educational and employment background, teaching performance and instructional factors, disclosure of the learning disability, support systems, advocacy for change, and variables contributing to the individual's success. (JDD)

The consensus conference on learning disabilities and employment sponsored by the President's Committee on Employment of Persons with Disabilities in May 1990 is described. Decisions and proposals made in the key areas of work preparation, vocational entry, reasonable accommodation, job advancement, socioadaptability, attitudes, and definitions and diagnosis are detailed. (PB)

The study examined the persistence of problems resulting from learning disabilities during school-age years (retrospectively) and in adult years. A rating scale of characteristics of learning disabilities was given to 133 adults identified as learning disabled in school and highly or moderately successful in employment. Persistence of problem areas was observed. (Author/DB)

This article presents observations from contacts and consultations with representatives of 25 major companies in the Richmond, Virginia, area concerning their strategies for complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The article concludes that a dynamic tension exists between employers and people with disabilities, and the law's successful implementation is linked to the performance of individuals with learning disabilities themselves. (JDD)

This study examined cognitive correlates of social perception in 32 learning-disabled elementary students. Three subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised and the Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity were used as measures. Subtests for Picture Arrangement and Comprehension seemed to have an inherent relation to social perceptual functioning. (Author/PB)

Books can be used to remediate social deficiencies in learning disabled children by providing an opportunity for identification with the characters. Questions can be directed to focus on social perceptual cues, situation-specific behavior, and appropriate affective responses. Ten books are recommended. (CL)

One hundred forty-five special education teachers, of all disability categories and from six states, were surveyed about their perceptions of parent involvement in the individual education plan (IEP) process. Results showed a diversity of opinion over practices, processes, and attitudes regarding the IEP process, despite their purported familiarity. (Author/ABB)

Adolescents with and without learning disabilities (14, 16, and 18 years old) were tested to determine whether they differed in auditory, visual, and/or multisensory social perception abilities. The adolescents with learning disabilities at all age levels were not as adept at understanding nonverbal social information regardless of whether it was visual or multisensory in nature. (Author/DB)