Perspective from the other Side: A Message of Hope for Learning Disability Teachers and Students

Abstract

I am a learning disabled adult deeply concerned about the education of atypical children in general and the learning handicapped in particular. Now in my early thirties, I entered the school system before enactment of state and federal legislation mandating equal access to public education for the handicapped. Although great strides have been made since special education and learning disabilities were neophyte disciplines, glaring inequities remain. My purpose in writing this essay is to use my experience within and outside the educational system to reflect upon the distance we have traveled and the difficult path we still must traverse. Additionally, I will offer hope and encouragement to both teachers of the learning disabled and their students in the form of valid avenues of improvement.