Helping Adults with Dyslexia
Helping adults with dyslexia is critical to improving opportunities for education, employment, and independent living.
Dyslexia is a brain-based, specific learning disability that most frequently causes difficulty with fluent and accurate word recognition, spelling, and decoding abilities. In recent years, there has been a greater focus on diagnosing dyslexia instead of grouping it under the general umbrella term of learning disability. This specific diagnosis is important for several reasons.
Helping Adults with Dyslexia in Educational Settings
There are many ways in which educational settings such as adult education and postsecondary programs can provide support for adults with dyslexia. Many adults who were unable to finish high school enter education programs to earn a GED or high school credits toward a diploma. Often these programs require an initial assessment of reading and math skills such as the Test of Adult Basic Skills (TABE). These assessments may help to identify adults who are reading significantly below the level necessary to pass the GED or meet other academic demands, and can be used as a way to further screen for dyslexia.
It is extremely important that adult education programs and community colleges ensure that there are trained educators available to assist in screening and providing accommodations for struggling readers. Many adults enter these programs to further their education or receive vocational training and educators in these settings are often on the front lines of identifying adults with dyslexia.
The purpose of the Section 504 is clear: ‘To empower individuals with disabilities to maximize employment, economic self-sufficiency, independence, and inclusion and integration into society.’❞
Community colleges, in particular, must have processes in place to support adults. This may mean serving students in educational settings under 504 plans. While special education protections under an IEP end when a student leaves high school, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities, including adults. The purpose of the Section 504 is clear: “To empower individuals with disabilities to maximize employment, economic self-sufficiency, independence, and inclusion and integration into society.”
The documentation required for and contained in 504 plans is important for several reasons.
A documented disability, such as dyslexia, is necessary for an adult to be eligible for the use of accommodations on high-stakes tests such as the GED, SAT, and GRE. Without the results of previous or current evaluations, many students are unable to obtain the necessary documentation to quality for accommodations.
Students with 504 plans are eligible for accommodations and modifications on class assignments and assessments that allow them to be successful in adult education programs leading toward a diploma, certification, or license.