Guiding Teens with Learning Disabilities

Richard Bolles’s What Color Is Your Parachute? has helped millions of readers find their path in life, and now his Creative Approach to Job-Hunting is brought to bear on the specific challenges faced by job hunters with disabilities. In Job-Hunting for the So-Called Handicapped, Bolles and Dale Susan Brown guide readers through the often-frustrating, but ultimately rewarding process of securing independence in their lives and personal satisfaction in their careers. The authors begin by demystifying the intricacies of the ADA, describing in clear terms what the act does and does not guarantee disabled job hunters, and then move on to job-hunting strategies tailored specifically to people with disabilities.

Pope discusses 40 colleges, mostly in the Northeast, South, and Midwest. What makes this book different from other guides is that it highlights schools that select students who have a wide range of abilities, not necessarily the cream of the crop academically, but who exhibit a desire to learn. The atmosphere at these institutions is collaborative rather than competitive and they feature close interaction between students and faculty.

A chance encounter with an unfortunate bird provides the springboard for Harry Sylvester’s marvelous reflections on confronting and conquering his learning disabilities. Legacy of the Blue Heron: Living with Learning Disabilities is a moving personal account of coping with learning disabilities by an individual with severe dyslexia who became an engineer, businessman, boat-builder, and president of the Learning Disabilities Association of America. This entertaining storyteller’s experiences lead to wise, common-sense advice for solving many problems faced by students, parents, and educators.

On Their Own is an invaluable road map to ease these parents’ fears and answer their questions, especially the one that haunts them daily: Will or can their child be on their own, and how? In a candid, sympathetic style, laced with real-life stories. Topics include: social skills and dating, staying healthy, sibling relationships, interaction with employers and co-workers, job hunting, finding the right college or trade school, and estate planning. It also includes a comprehensive resource guide and exclusive interviews with prominent professionals who have surmounted their learning disabilities: CEO’s Sir Richard Branson, John Chambers, David Neeleman, and Charles Schwab, and former governor Gaston Caperton.

Written in a readable and friendly style, Adults With Learning Disabilities is an invaluable resource not only for learning disabled adults, but also highschool and college students with learning disabilities, parents, professionals across disciplines, and the lay public. Here is information on the causes and symptoms of learning disabilities, specific conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia, a review of definitions, an update of research and advances in the neurosciences, assessment and intervention, pertinent legal issues, making college and employment plans, the role of professionals, and much more. The authors review metacognitive theory and emphasize the role of strategic approaches to learning both in and out of school. Clinical examples make a compelling case that individuals with learning disabilities can—and do—attain significant levels of success.

This practical manual offers essential information and guidance for anyone involved with ADA issues in higher education settings. Fundamental principles and actual clinical and administrative procedures are outlined for evaluating, documenting, and accommodating a wide range of mental and physical impairments.