Guidance and Career Counselors Toolkit: Advising High School Students with Disabilities on Postsecondary Options (June 18, 2010)

This toolkit is intended to help guidance and career counselors to better assist high school students with disabilities to transition into postsecondary education and employment. Adults with LD and their supporters will also find the information and resources valuable in planning for entering postsecondary education and for career preparation.

This product is geared towards high school students with disabilities, their counselors, teachers, and parents. However, many ABE/GED students are dealing with learning, physical, or mental health difficulties and possibly disabilities. Therefore, certain chapters are particularly relevant to ABE/GED teachers and students who need to understand disability definitions, disability laws, self-determination, academic accommodations, and psycho-educational assessment and documentation in preparation for transitioning to post-secondary opportunities.

Chapters of special interest might include:

• Chapter 1 on common disabilities, definitions, and incidence under IDEA
• Chapter 4 on facilitating self-determination and self-advocacy skills
• Chapters 12, 13 on academic adjustments or accommodations and the role of Disability Support Services
• Chapters 14, 15 on the role of Vocational Rehabilitation services and access
• Chapter 26 on proper and complete documentation of disabilities
• Chapter 28 on psychological and/or educational diagnostic evaluation
• Weblinks for further information
• Additional Tools for transition to post-secondary

To download the Toolkit, go to: http://www.heath.gwu.edu/images/stories/Toolkit.pdf

A National Online Library of Professional Development Resources (May 12, 2010)

Across states, national organizations, and technical assistance investments, an extensive amount of professional development material is availalbe. This library provides local educators with easy access to an array of resources that can be used or customzed to meet their needs.

While the resources are mainly geared to the K-12 population, many of the topics included are applicable to the adult education population. Some of the topics covered are: assistive technology, employment, project-based learning, career education, self-advocacy, conflict resolution, technology, transition to work, universal design, and many more.

To check out what is available, go to: http://www.learningport.us/

Creating Accommodating Math Students with Learning Disabilities (April 27, 2010)

There may be more learning-disabled students in your math class than you realize. If you have learners who read numbers backwards, have trouble telling time, confuse part and whole relationships, have difficulty keeping score in a game, and have difficulty remembering math facts, concepts, rules, formulas, sequences, and procedures, they may be learning disabled. According to the National Adult Literacy and Learning Disabilities Center, "it is estimated that 50 percent to 80 percent of students in Adult Basic Education and literacy programs are affected by learning disabilities," (1995, p. 1). The implications of such a staggering statistic for the adult basic education (ABE) teacher are worth further investigation. In this article, we will look at some common profiles of learning disabled learners and strategies you can use in your math class to meet their specific learning needs.

To read the article, go to: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=325

NAASLN Webinar on Tried and True Teaching Strategies for Students with (or without) Disabilities (April 13, 2010)

Here's a great opportunity to learn really practical, tried and true teaching strategies, which will lead to success for your students with ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome or Learning Disabilities.

Register ONLINE: Go to www.naasln.org/webinars.htm

April 20 from 4:00 - 5:00 ET

Description: So you know how to spot characteristics of your students with ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome, or Learning Disabilities, but now what? Learn some practical, tried and true teaching strategies for your students with disabilities - and for those without.

Presenter: Sarah Goldammer is an Educational Specialist with the Southern Illinois Professional Development Center, part of the Illinois Community College Board Service Center Network located at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. With a B.S. in Special Education and a M.S. in Higher Education, Sarah is proud to have taught students from 3 to 83 and every age in between. She has been involved in adult education for the past eight years and has been teaching and training for over 23 years

Fee per session:
$40.00 Non-Members
$20.00 Members **

Fee per video of this session and other archived sessions:
$40.00 Non-Members
$20.00 Members **

**NAASLN Members: To get this discounted fee of $20.00 when you register online, use your Members Only Code. If you don t have your code, contact us at info@naasln.org and we will send it to you.

Taking the GED Tests: Requesting Accommodations (March 29, 2010)

For our students with learning disabilities or ADD/ADHD, accommodations on the GED may be the only path to success. Neil Sturomski of GEDTS outlines the process of filling out the forms for requesting accommodations on the GED at: http://www.ldonline.org/article/15574

Free e-book available on Assistive Technology (March 2, 2010)

Atomic Learning s free ebook entitled Integrate Assistive Technology in General Education: A Quick Reference Guide is intended for any teacher or administrator seeking to level their classrooms for all students. The ebook covers the necessary steps for implementing assistive technology, such as creating a common vision, understanding the roles of each participant, developing key skills, providing ongoing support and understanding how it all ultimately impacts students. While this e-book is written for the K-12 population, the steps are applicable to the adult education arena.

To download the free e-book, go to: http://al.atomiclearning.com/integrating_at_ebook/?THEBIGDEALBOOK=634029512083249045

Assistive Technology Tools: Reading (February 4, 2010)

There is a wide range of assistive technology (AT) tools available to help individuals who struggle with reading. While each type of tool works a little differently, all of these tools help by presenting text as speech. These tools help facilitate decoding, reading fluency, and comprehension. To learn more about assistive technology (AT) tools that can help in reading, click here.

NAASLN Webinar on GED Testing Accommodations for Students with Special Learning Needs (January 25, 2010)

How do we level the playing field for adults with special learning needs?

Register ONLINE: Go to www.naasln.org/webinars.htm

February 16th from 4:00 - 5:00 ET

Description:
Adults with special learning needs taking the GED fall into two categories: (1) Those adults with documented disabilities, who require accommodations such as extended time, supervised breaks, scribes, audiocassettes. (2) Those adults, for whom teachers have identified learning needs requiring adaptations or modifications such as magnifiers, colored overlays, straight edges, rooms without fluorescent lighting, etc. These latter adaptations do not require prior approval by the GED state offices.

This session will clarify information concerning accommodations and adaptations and will provide effective ways to prepare your students to use these tools to successfully pass the GED Test.

Presenter:
Connie Leading brings 30 years of professional and personal experience to her position with the Ohio Department of Education's GED Office. As GED Testing Accommodations Consultant and as the Chief Examiner for Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools in Groveport, OH, she has been instrumental in the development of curricula for public and private institutions which addresses the challenges faced by students with disabling conditions. In these capacities and as a mother of two "accommodated learners" who have experienced the emotional and physical aspects of learning through accommodations, Connie serves as a strong advocate for the needs of special students.

Register ONLINE: Go to www.naasln.org/webinars.htm

Fee per session:
$40.00 Non-Members
$20.00 Members **

Fee per video of this session and other archived sessions:
$40.00 Non-Members
$20.00 Members **

**NAASLN Members: To get this discounted fee of $20.00 when you register online, use your Members Only Code. If you don t have your code, contact us at info@naasln.org and we will send it to you.

Understanding the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act and Section 504 (November 12, 2009)

The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) was passed by Congress in December 2008 and became effective January 1, 2009. This significant piece of legislation corrected what Congress considered to be a departure from the intent of the original ADA (passed in 1990) brought about by several narrow interpretations of the law through Supreme Court rulings. These rulings weakened the law and made it difficult for people with disabilities to receive the protection the law intended.

The ADAAA also has a direct and substantial impact on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) -an important law that provides protections for individuals with disabilities.

While this publication is intended to educate parents, it is a helpful resource for those in adult literacy. Of particular interest to adult literacy practitioners is page 7 on colleges and universities.

To download this publication, please click here.

Bookshare (October 22, 2009)

People with print disabilities deserve to enjoy reading as much as all other readers. Yet, currently fewer than five percent of the books needed by people with print disabilities are available in accessible formats such as digital text or digital Braille.

Bookshare 's goal is to raise the floor of access so that people with print disabilities can obtain a broad spectrum of print materials at the same time as everyone else.

People with visual impairments, physical disabilities and/or learning disabilities can look to Bookshare to dramatically increase the quantity and timely availability of books and newspapers in accessible formats. Further, Bookshare s vision encompasses new technological developments as well as new applications of widely available technologies to stretch the power of technology for increased access to content.

Bookshare is diligently working toward this goal by:

• Building the Bookshare digital library as rapidly as possible through Volunteers, partnerships, and publishers.
• Spreading the word so that everyone who is eligible to join Bookshare has the opportunity to do so.
• Expanding the choices of access technology available for people with print disabilities. Bookshare is leveraging new technological developments that make reading digital books easier.

To learn more about the Bookshare program, go to: http://www.bookshare.org/

To find out if you or one of your learners qualifies for Bookshare, go to: http://www.bookshare.org/about/membershipQualifications.