Working Together: Computers and People with Learning Disabilities

Students and workers with learning disabilities demonstrate computer-based tools and strategies. Also available with audio description: https://youtu.be/-uaEdaD5wJE

[ Music ]

(Narrator) There's no way you
can pick them out of a crowd.

People with learning
disabilities blend right in.

Sometimes, they
don't even know.

(Kristin) I always
struggled academically,

since I can remember,
since first grade.

And so I pretty much had
convinced myself in my mind

that school was really
difficult for me,

and that's just the way it was.

(Narrator) Learning disabilities
are invisible disabilities.

A child may struggle with
schoolwork for years before

being diagnosed, years in which
people don't understand why she

"just doesn't get it."

(Kristin) Most of
my friends could

study for about half
an hour and get As.

And I would study for, you know,
in the beginning of the school

year I'd study maybe for
four hours and still get a D.

(Narrator) Kristin, who
will soon return to school

for a graduate degree, didn't know
she had dyslexia until college.

The first step is diagnosis.

When academic achievement
is significantly

below intellectual
ability, the cause

may be a learning disability.

Chris, a high school student
with dyslexia and dysgraphia,

was diagnosed in grade school.

(Chris) I didn't really
find out until second grade,

when my mom started making me go
to all these places where they

made me do tests for,
like, hours and hours.

And that kind of
got me really bored,

but then I finally noticed
after they started telling me

that I had slight
problems in certain areas

like reading or writing.

(Narrator) There are various
types of learning disabilities,

and they affect individuals
in different ways.

What they all have in
common is that they

affect the way the brain
processes information.

(Lyla) I think what it means
to have a learning disability

is that the students
in some way are having

their processing interrupted.

So they're not able to
maybe assimilate information

as easily as other students,
and then again they're not able

to express it as easily
as other students.

So even though they're
trying very hard,

their ideas may not get across
as well as other students.

(Narrator) Or they may not be
able to take in the information

effectively in the first place.

(Chris) Sometimes I,
like, will read a line,

and then I'll start on the next
line, and halfway through it,

I'll jump up to that same line
I've already read and keep

reading the same
sentence over again.

Which gets annoying.

And sometimes, like,
words change places

or go upside down, and it makes
it kind of hard in that sense.

(Narrator) Learning disabilities
can appear in any one or more

of these four categories:

Spoken language –
listening and speaking;

Written language –
reading, writing, and spelling;

Arithmetic –
calculation and concepts;

Reasoning – organization
and integration of ideas.

Individuals may be affected
in more than one category.

Within those categories,
there are specific types

of learning disabilities.

For example:

People with dysgraphia
may have difficulty

forming letters and
words, as well as

producing legible handwriting.

Those who have
dyscalculia find it

difficult to understand and
use math concepts and symbols.

With dyspraxia,
language comprehension

does not match production.

A person with dyspraxia may
mix up words and sentences

while talking.

Someone with dyslexia may
mix up letters within words,

and words within
sentences, while reading.

This person may also have
poor spelling skills.

(Kristin) The way that
a learning disability

affects each individual and
their learning style is different.

For example, in my situation,
my learning disability

really affects my
reading comprehension.

And I really have high
math skills, or I did,

when I practiced.

But for others, math is
really difficult for them,

and their reading
comprehension is up to par.

(Chris) Imagine like
you're sleeping,

you're getting really sleepy,
and you're reading a book;

you start to–your eyes
start to wander on the page,

and you start seeing things
moving; you read the same line.

Well, it's about the same thing,
except that I'm wide awake.

(Lyla) They can have
problems reading,

they can have problems
with auditory information,

maybe they only hear every
five words that you're saying,

instead of every word; and we
have some students that process

every word singly
as they hear it,

instead of the entire
sentence or the concept.

And then we have other students
who can take in information

just fine, but they're not
able to get it back out.

(Narrator) People can
develop strategies

to compensate for the effects
of learning disabilities.

Computer technology
has played a vital role

in helping people achieve
academic and career success.

Taking more time to study,
outlining my textbooks;

using a word processor,
spell check, grammar check.

(Chris) When writing papers,
I can use my NaturallySpeaking

program, which allows me to
talk into a computer and it will

write what I say, 'cause I
have problems–my handwriting's

really bad and sloppy.

(Narrator) It takes time to
choose hardware and software,

to get the right
fit for each person.

But generally,
these accommodations

are not expensive.

(Lyla) A lot of the software
they?re using comes standard

with the computer now.

Spell check and grammar
check are often built right

into the program, or
they come with programs;

when you buy your dictionary,
they're already in there.

(Narrator) We'll show you some
of the computing tools that

people with learning disabilities
have found effective.

Again, these are some
of the possibilities;

you may find something else
that works best for you.

Many people with dyslexia use only
standard built-in word processing features.

Spell checking,
grammar checking,

and the ability to change font
size and color are all that's needed.

Those tools allow the student to stay
focused on what she's writing,

instead of bogging down
in spelling errors.

(Lindsay) I think that for
people with disabilities

computers are really useful
because they have spell check

and grammar check and you can
use those for writing an essay

and you don't need to take more
time consulting a dictionary.

(Narrator) Finally, many
word processing programs

include options for color-coded
text or outlining capabilities.

These are useful
for people who have

difficulty sorting and
sequencing thoughts and ideas.

Reading systems are
useful for people

who understand things
better through listening

than through reading.

For them, speech
output is effective.

Software allows the computer
to read aloud text, email,

or Web pages?basically,
anything on your computer.

Adding a scanner gives
access to printed text.

(Crystal) When I have
to, like, read books,

I just scan those so they can
read the books to me so I don't

have to spend 2 hours reading
one page or something.

(Narrator) A scanner converts
printed text into a format

that the computer recognizes.

Then the computer reads
the information aloud,

at the same time that the words
appear on the screen.

(Screen reader) A tall
fellow in a Batman costume

comes soaring out
of the winter sky...

(Narrator) Reading systems
may include options

for using contrasting
colors to highlight words,

or to make the words
bigger on the screen.

(Screen reader) The second tier?

(Narrator) Concept
mapping software

offers visual representation
of ideas and concepts, which

helps people who have difficulty
organizing and integrating

thoughts while writing.

(Kristin) Writing is
one of my strengths,

but it does take me some time
to get my thoughts together.

(Narrator) With concept
mapping, ideas can be linked,

rearranged, and color coded.

Concept maps can then be
turned into a traditional text outline.

This can be used to
start and organize

a variety of writing projects,

including poetry, term papers,
resumes, or schedules.

Word prediction software
is helpful for people

who are poor spellers.

It prompts users with

a list of most likely word
choices, based on what

has been typed so far.

The person using the program
can refer to the list,

choose a word, and
continue writing.

Speech output is often
combined with word prediction.

(Chris) Most people's lives'..

Speech recognition
software allows

people to dictate
into their computers.

They may use this for email, Web
browsing, or word processing.

(Chris) It helps me write.
I can think and write faster

and don't have that problem
where I'll have that thought

and it will go away.

(Dan) It requires a significant amount
of training and practice.

(Narrator) The person using this software
speaks into a microphone.

The user has to have fairly
good reading comprehension

to use this effectively,
because you have

to correct some of the words.

(Dan) Scratch that.

(Narrator) The computer doesn't
always recognize exactly what

you meant.

(David) It sometimes doesn't
translate words quite right.

My favorite one was one of
the first papers I wrote on;

it was on space.

And it translated "cosmonaut"

to "cow snot."

(Narrator) Other technology-related
products include:

Talking calculators

Phonetic spellers and

Electronic organizers

And don't forget
the low tech tools.

Post-it notes, highlighter
pens, and Daytimer notes

can be effective in
organizing tasks and ideas.

They can be used in combination
with computer-based tools.

Whatever you choose, the
most effective strategies

are the ones you
develop yourself.

(Kristin) I have to just
write everything down;

I have to be really organized;
I have a Daytimer which I kind

of live out of; and I just have
to keep organized and on top

of things, and be in regular
communication with the people I

work with to make sure that
I understand the project

correctly and that I'm working
up to the expectations that I...

that are expected of me.

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