0:00:01.000,0:00:05.500 [ Music ] 0:00:17.000,0:00:19.750 (Narrator) There's no way you[br]can pick them out of a crowd. 0:00:19.750,0:00:22.160 People with learning[br]disabilities blend right in. 0:00:22.160,0:00:24.470 Sometimes, they[br]don't even know. 0:00:24.470,0:00:29.230 (Kristin) I always[br]struggled academically, 0:00:29.230,0:00:32.840 since I can remember,[br]since first grade. 0:00:32.840,0:00:37.630 And so I pretty much had[br]convinced myself in my mind 0:00:37.630,0:00:40.300 that school was really[br]difficult for me, 0:00:40.300,0:00:42.010 and that's just the way it was. 0:00:42.010,0:00:45.330 (Narrator) Learning disabilities[br]are invisible disabilities. 0:00:45.330,0:00:48.300 A child may struggle with[br]schoolwork for years before 0:00:48.300,0:00:52.240 being diagnosed, years in which[br]people don't understand why she 0:00:52.240,0:00:53.500 "just doesn't get it." 0:00:53.500,0:00:55.010 (Kristin) Most of[br]my friends could 0:00:55.010,0:00:57.440 study for about half[br]an hour and get As. 0:00:57.440,0:01:01.150 And I would study for, you know,[br]in the beginning of the school 0:01:01.150,0:01:03.740 year I'd study maybe for[br]four hours and still get a D. 0:01:03.740,0:01:07.030 (Narrator) Kristin, who[br]will soon return to school 0:01:07.030,0:01:10.680 for a graduate degree, didn't know[br]she had dyslexia until college. 0:01:11.840,0:01:14.770 The first step is diagnosis. 0:01:14.770,0:01:17.300 When academic achievement[br]is significantly 0:01:17.300,0:01:19.930 below intellectual[br]ability, the cause 0:01:19.930,0:01:21.730 may be a learning disability. 0:01:21.730,0:01:25.150 Chris, a high school student[br]with dyslexia and dysgraphia, 0:01:25.150,0:01:26.864 was diagnosed in grade school. 0:01:26.864,0:01:29.030 (Chris) I didn't really[br]find out until second grade, 0:01:29.030,0:01:31.970 when my mom started making me go[br]to all these places where they 0:01:31.970,0:01:36.140 made me do tests for,[br]like, hours and hours. 0:01:36.140,0:01:37.787 And that kind of[br]got me really bored, 0:01:37.787,0:01:40.120 but then I finally noticed[br]after they started telling me 0:01:40.120,0:01:43.930 that I had slight[br]problems in certain areas 0:01:43.930,0:01:45.170 like reading or writing. 0:01:45.170,0:01:48.810 (Narrator) There are various[br]types of learning disabilities, 0:01:48.810,0:01:51.440 and they affect individuals[br]in different ways. 0:01:51.440,0:01:53.720 What they all have in[br]common is that they 0:01:53.720,0:01:55.884 affect the way the brain[br]processes information. 0:01:55.884,0:01:58.300 (Lyla) I think what it means[br]to have a learning disability 0:01:58.300,0:02:00.210 is that the students[br]in some way are having 0:02:00.210,0:02:02.160 their processing interrupted. 0:02:02.160,0:02:05.110 So they're not able to[br]maybe assimilate information 0:02:05.110,0:02:07.900 as easily as other students,[br]and then again they're not able 0:02:07.900,0:02:09.840 to express it as easily[br]as other students. 0:02:09.840,0:02:13.070 So even though they're[br]trying very hard, 0:02:13.070,0:02:16.340 their ideas may not get across[br]as well as other students. 0:02:16.340,0:02:18.970 (Narrator) Or they may not be[br]able to take in the information 0:02:18.970,0:02:21.130 effectively in the first place. 0:02:21.130,0:02:23.410 (Chris) Sometimes I,[br]like, will read a line, 0:02:23.410,0:02:26.100 and then I'll start on the next[br]line, and halfway through it, 0:02:26.100,0:02:28.475 I'll jump up to that same line[br]I've already read and keep 0:02:28.475,0:02:30.140 reading the same[br]sentence over again. 0:02:30.140,0:02:31.680 Which gets annoying. 0:02:31.680,0:02:35.180 And sometimes, like,[br]words change places 0:02:35.180,0:02:41.550 or go upside down, and it makes[br]it kind of hard in that sense. 0:02:41.550,0:02:44.740 (Narrator) Learning disabilities[br]can appear in any one or more 0:02:44.740,0:02:47.160 of these four categories: 0:02:47.160,0:02:48.840 Spoken language –[br]listening and speaking; 0:02:50.790,0:02:54.740 Written language –[br]reading, writing, and spelling; 0:02:54.740,0:02:58.570 Arithmetic –[br]calculation and concepts; 0:02:58.570,0:03:03.100 Reasoning – organization[br]and integration of ideas. 0:03:03.100,0:03:06.040 Individuals may be affected[br]in more than one category. 0:03:06.040,0:03:09.040 Within those categories,[br]there are specific types 0:03:09.040,0:03:10.830 of learning disabilities. 0:03:10.830,0:03:11.330 For example: 0:03:11.330,0:03:14.330 People with dysgraphia[br]may have difficulty 0:03:14.330,0:03:16.420 forming letters and[br]words, as well as 0:03:16.420,0:03:19.360 producing legible handwriting. 0:03:19.360,0:03:21.310 Those who have[br]dyscalculia find it 0:03:21.310,0:03:25.790 difficult to understand and[br]use math concepts and symbols. 0:03:25.790,0:03:28.850 With dyspraxia,[br]language comprehension 0:03:28.850,0:03:30.680 does not match production. 0:03:30.680,0:03:33.700 A person with dyspraxia may[br]mix up words and sentences 0:03:33.700,0:03:35.870 while talking. 0:03:35.870,0:03:38.880 Someone with dyslexia may[br]mix up letters within words, 0:03:38.880,0:03:41.430 and words within[br]sentences, while reading. 0:03:41.430,0:03:45.000 This person may also have[br]poor spelling skills. 0:03:45.000,0:03:48.460 (Kristin) The way that[br]a learning disability 0:03:48.460,0:03:51.640 affects each individual and [br]their learning style is different. 0:03:51.640,0:03:55.190 For example, in my situation,[br]my learning disability 0:03:55.190,0:03:57.350 really affects my[br]reading comprehension. 0:03:57.350,0:04:00.250 And I really have high[br]math skills, or I did, 0:04:00.250,0:04:01.780 when I practiced. 0:04:01.780,0:04:04.790 But for others, math is[br]really difficult for them, 0:04:04.790,0:04:07.400 and their reading[br]comprehension is up to par. 0:04:07.400,0:04:08.957 (Chris) Imagine like[br]you're sleeping, 0:04:08.957,0:04:11.290 you're getting really sleepy,[br]and you're reading a book; 0:04:11.290,0:04:13.850 you start to–your eyes[br]start to wander on the page, 0:04:13.850,0:04:17.170 and you start seeing things[br]moving; you read the same line. 0:04:17.170,0:04:20.037 Well, it's about the same thing,[br]except that I'm wide awake. 0:04:20.037,0:04:21.620 (Lyla) They can have[br]problems reading, 0:04:21.620,0:04:24.116 they can have problems[br]with auditory information, 0:04:24.116,0:04:26.490 maybe they only hear every[br]five words that you're saying, 0:04:26.490,0:04:30.360 instead of every word; and we[br]have some students that process 0:04:30.360,0:04:32.240 every word singly[br]as they hear it, 0:04:32.240,0:04:34.760 instead of the entire[br]sentence or the concept. 0:04:34.760,0:04:38.750 And then we have other students[br]who can take in information 0:04:38.750,0:04:41.610 just fine, but they're not[br]able to get it back out. 0:04:41.610,0:04:43.390 (Narrator) People can[br]develop strategies 0:04:43.390,0:04:46.280 to compensate for the effects[br]of learning disabilities. 0:04:46.280,0:04:49.190 Computer technology[br]has played a vital role 0:04:49.190,0:04:52.460 in helping people achieve[br]academic and career success. 0:04:52.460,0:04:57.080 Taking more time to study,[br]outlining my textbooks; 0:04:57.080,0:05:01.600 using a word processor,[br]spell check, grammar check. 0:05:01.600,0:05:06.860 (Chris) When writing papers,[br]I can use my NaturallySpeaking 0:05:06.860,0:05:10.280 program, which allows me to[br]talk into a computer and it will 0:05:10.280,0:05:14.010 write what I say, 'cause I[br]have problems–my handwriting's 0:05:14.010,0:05:15.620 really bad and sloppy. 0:05:15.620,0:05:19.350 (Narrator) It takes time to[br]choose hardware and software, 0:05:19.350,0:05:21.870 to get the right[br]fit for each person. 0:05:21.870,0:05:24.020 But generally,[br]these accommodations 0:05:24.020,0:05:25.286 are not expensive. 0:05:25.286,0:05:27.660 (Lyla) A lot of the software[br]they?re using comes standard 0:05:27.660,0:05:28.690 with the computer now. 0:05:28.690,0:05:31.020 Spell check and grammar[br]check are often built right 0:05:31.020,0:05:34.059 into the program, or[br]they come with programs; 0:05:34.059,0:05:36.350 when you buy your dictionary,[br]they're already in there. 0:05:36.350,0:05:40.050 (Narrator) We'll show you some[br]of the computing tools that 0:05:40.050,0:05:41.910 people with learning disabilities [br]have found effective. 0:05:42.740,0:05:45.670 Again, these are some[br]of the possibilities; 0:05:45.670,0:05:48.410 you may find something else[br]that works best for you. 0:05:54.340,0:05:57.680 Many people with dyslexia use only [br]standard built-in word processing features. 0:05:59.140,0:06:01.270 Spell checking,[br]grammar checking, 0:06:01.270,0:06:04.570 and the ability to change font[br]size and color are all that's needed. 0:06:05.760,0:06:09.230 Those tools allow the student to stay[br]focused on what she's writing, 0:06:09.230,0:06:12.760 instead of bogging down [br]in spelling errors. 0:06:12.760,0:06:15.080 (Lindsay) I think that for[br]people with disabilities 0:06:15.080,0:06:18.180 computers are really useful[br]because they have spell check 0:06:18.180,0:06:21.560 and grammar check and you can[br]use those for writing an essay 0:06:21.560,0:06:24.580 and you don't need to take more[br]time consulting a dictionary. 0:06:24.580,0:06:28.360 (Narrator) Finally, many[br]word processing programs 0:06:28.360,0:06:32.730 include options for color-coded[br]text or outlining capabilities. 0:06:32.730,0:06:34.620 These are useful[br]for people who have 0:06:34.620,0:06:37.320 difficulty sorting and[br]sequencing thoughts and ideas. 0:06:46.380,0:06:48.090 Reading systems are[br]useful for people 0:06:48.090,0:06:50.290 who understand things[br]better through listening 0:06:50.290,0:06:51.500 than through reading. 0:06:51.500,0:06:53.550 For them, speech[br]output is effective. 0:06:56.100,0:06:59.970 Software allows the computer[br]to read aloud text, email, 0:06:59.970,0:07:03.620 or Web pages?basically,[br]anything on your computer. 0:07:03.620,0:07:06.560 Adding a scanner gives[br]access to printed text. 0:07:06.560,0:07:08.820 (Crystal) When I have[br]to, like, read books, 0:07:08.820,0:07:12.110 I just scan those so they can[br]read the books to me so I don't 0:07:12.110,0:07:14.660 have to spend 2 hours reading[br]one page or something. 0:07:14.660,0:07:18.030 (Narrator) A scanner converts[br]printed text into a format 0:07:18.030,0:07:19.920 that the computer recognizes. 0:07:19.920,0:07:22.520 Then the computer reads[br]the information aloud, 0:07:22.520,0:07:24.570 at the same time that the words [br]appear on the screen. 0:07:25.070,0:07:27.460 (Screen reader) A tall[br]fellow in a Batman costume 0:07:27.460,0:07:29.320 comes soaring out[br]of the winter sky... 0:07:29.320,0:07:31.370 (Narrator) Reading systems[br]may include options 0:07:31.370,0:07:34.070 for using contrasting[br]colors to highlight words, 0:07:34.070,0:07:36.460 or to make the words[br]bigger on the screen. 0:07:36.460,0:07:43.050 (Screen reader) The second tier? 0:07:43.050,0:07:44.950 (Narrator) Concept[br]mapping software 0:07:44.950,0:07:48.340 offers visual representation[br]of ideas and concepts, which 0:07:48.340,0:07:51.020 helps people who have difficulty[br]organizing and integrating 0:07:51.020,0:07:52.040 thoughts while writing. 0:07:52.040,0:07:53.890 (Kristin) Writing is[br]one of my strengths, 0:07:53.890,0:07:57.370 but it does take me some time[br]to get my thoughts together. 0:07:57.370,0:08:00.510 (Narrator) With concept[br]mapping, ideas can be linked, 0:08:00.510,0:08:02.530 rearranged, and color coded. 0:08:02.530,0:08:05.970 Concept maps can then be[br]turned into a traditional text outline. 0:08:06.960,0:08:09.370 This can be used to[br]start and organize 0:08:09.370,0:08:13.590 a variety of writing projects, 0:08:13.590,0:08:14.884 including poetry, term papers,[br]resumes, or schedules. 0:08:23.600,0:08:25.780 Word prediction software[br]is helpful for people 0:08:25.780,0:08:27.060 who are poor spellers. 0:08:27.060,0:08:28.300 It prompts users with 0:08:28.300,0:08:31.290 a list of most likely word[br]choices, based on what 0:08:31.290,0:08:32.909 has been typed so far. 0:08:32.909,0:08:35.890 The person using the program[br]can refer to the list, 0:08:35.890,0:08:38.450 choose a word, and[br]continue writing. 0:08:38.450,0:08:42.350 Speech output is often[br]combined with word prediction. 0:08:42.350,0:08:49.830 (Chris) Most people's lives'.. 0:08:49.830,0:08:51.930 Speech recognition[br]software allows 0:08:51.930,0:08:54.560 people to dictate[br]into their computers. 0:08:54.560,0:08:58.550 They may use this for email, Web[br]browsing, or word processing. 0:08:58.550,0:09:02.350 (Chris) It helps me write. [br]I can think and write faster 0:09:02.350,0:09:05.060 and don't have that problem[br]where I'll have that thought 0:09:05.060,0:09:06.270 and it will go away. 0:09:06.270,0:09:08.020 (Dan) It requires a significant amount[br]of training and practice. 0:09:09.780,0:09:12.950 (Narrator) The person using this software[br]speaks into a microphone. 0:09:12.950,0:09:15.940 The user has to have fairly[br]good reading comprehension 0:09:15.940,0:09:18.430 to use this effectively,[br]because you have 0:09:18.430,0:09:19.739 to correct some of the words. 0:09:19.739,0:09:20.530 (Dan) Scratch that. 0:09:20.530,0:09:23.690 (Narrator) The computer doesn't[br]always recognize exactly what 0:09:23.690,0:09:24.420 you meant. 0:09:24.420,0:09:27.900 (David) It sometimes doesn't[br]translate words quite right. 0:09:27.900,0:09:30.420 My favorite one was one of[br]the first papers I wrote on; 0:09:30.420,0:09:31.580 it was on space. 0:09:31.580,0:09:33.910 And it translated "cosmonaut" 0:09:33.910,0:09:36.240 to "cow snot." 0:09:36.240,0:09:38.670 (Narrator) Other technology-related [br]products include: 0:09:39.460,0:09:41.020 Talking calculators 0:09:41.020,0:09:42.570 Phonetic spellers and 0:09:42.570,0:09:44.120 Electronic organizers 0:09:44.120,0:09:47.480 And don't forget[br]the low tech tools. 0:09:47.480,0:09:50.460 Post-it notes, highlighter[br]pens, and Daytimer notes 0:09:50.460,0:09:53.310 can be effective in[br]organizing tasks and ideas. 0:09:53.310,0:09:57.130 They can be used in combination[br]with computer-based tools. 0:09:57.130,0:10:00.750 Whatever you choose, the[br]most effective strategies 0:10:00.750,0:10:02.460 are the ones you[br]develop yourself. 0:10:02.460,0:10:04.430 (Kristin) I have to just[br]write everything down; 0:10:04.430,0:10:08.070 I have to be really organized;[br]I have a Daytimer which I kind 0:10:08.070,0:10:13.700 of live out of; and I just have[br]to keep organized and on top 0:10:13.700,0:10:16.430 of things, and be in regular[br]communication with the people I 0:10:16.430,0:10:19.460 work with to make sure that[br]I understand the project 0:10:19.460,0:10:23.440 correctly and that I'm working[br]up to the expectations that I... 0:10:23.440,0:10:26.080 that are expected of me.