Making the Commitment

1. Making the Commitment Resources for Meeting the Special Needs of Adults with Disabilities

2. Making the Commitment Outcomes • Understand the Basic Needs of Adults with Disabilities • Understand the Special Accommodations Process for the GED Tests • Identify Resources to Modify Instruction for Students with Disabilities

3. Making the Commitment “30-50% of ALL adult students have some type of learning disability – many of them undiagnosed.” The National Institute for Literacy

4. Making the Commitment As adult educators, we must work to provide the best instructional program possible for ALL students – including students with disabilities.

5. Did You Know? Janet Reno Thomas Edison Tom Cruise Hans Christian Andersen Bruce Jenner Michael J. Fox Ludwig von Beethoven Rita Hayworth Alexander Graham Bell Muhammad Ali Patty Duke Mike Wallace Chris Burke Franklin Delano Roosevelt Helen Keller Stevie Wonder

6. Making the Commitment If We Are To Make Progress, We Must: • Understand the terminology and the unique needs of students • Identify the resources that will help us meet those needs • Assist students in obtaining special accommodations

7. Making the Commitment What Are We Talking About? • Learning Disabilities • Medical Disabilities • Emotional Disabilities

8. Learning Disabilities A permanent disorder that affects the way individuals with normal or above-normal intelligence receive, store, organize, retrieve and use information. • Reading skills and comprehension • Math computation and reasoning • Writing and spelling • Listening and oral expression • Problem solving

9. Learning Disabilities What Are the Most Common Learning Disabilities? • Dyslexia • Dysgraphia • Dyscalculia • Language Deficit

10. Learning Disabilities What Are the Most Common Learning Disabilities? • Visual Perception • Auditory Deficits • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

11. Learning Disabilities What Are the Most Common Learning Disabilities? • Visual Perception • Auditory Deficits • Attention Deficit Disorder • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

12. Learning Disabilities What Are the Most Common Learning Disabilities? • Visual Perception • Auditory Deficits • Attention Deficit Disorder • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

13. Medical Disabilities A medical disability is a documented condition that severely limits the student’s ability to perform the essential skills required to take the GED Tests. • Cerebral Palsy • Epilepsy • Hearing Impairment/Deaf • Visual Impairment/Blind • Other Physical Disabilities

14. Emotional Disabilities An emotional or psychological disability is a condition that can be expected to impair a student’s ability to be successful on the GED Tests under regular testing conditions. • Schizophrenia • Depression • Attention Deficit Disorder • Tourette Syndrome

15. Making the Commitment The GED Testing Service Provides Accommodations For: • Medical Disabilities • Emotional Disabilities • Learning Disabilities

16. Making the Commitment Approved Accommodations • Audiocassette edition • Braille edition • Large print edition • Extended time • Scribe • Frequent, supervised breaks • Calculator • Interpreter • Private Testing

17. Making the Commitment Accommodations Not Allowed • Word processors • Spell check programs • Computers (except for the most extreme disabilities – must be approved by GEDTS) • Readers • Unlimited time

18. Making the Commitment How Can Students Obtain Special Accommodations? • Medical Disability • Student completes Form SA-001 • Medical doctor or other appropriate professional verifies the medical condition • Form and documentation sent by Chief Examiner to the Florida GED Administrator

19. Making the Commitment How Can Students Obtain Special Accommodations? • Emotional Disability • Student completes Form SA-001 (except for ADD) • Medical doctor or other appropriate professional verifies the medical condition • Form and documentation sent by Chief Examiner to the Florida GED Administrator

20. Making the Commitment How Can Students Obtain Special Accommodations? • Learning Disability (including ADD & ADHD) • Student completes Form L-15 • Appropriate certified professional diagnoses the specific learning disability • Appropriate document attached to the Form L-15 • Form and documentation sent by Chief Examiner to the Florida GED Administrator

21. Making the Commitment Four Levels of Review Available for Students • Level 1: Screening of documentation for approval by GED State Administrator • Level 2: Expert clinical review • Level 3: Expert Panel review • Level 4: National Advisory Panel

22. Making the Commitment Under ADA, 504 and IDEA the Student Must: • Demonstrate potential to do the task • Provide proof of documented disability • Demonstrate that the disability significantly, negatively impacts one of life’s major activities

23. Educational (IDEA) Definition The Student Must Have: • Average to above average intellectual potential (GED broadly defines this as a 70 or above) • Information processing dysfunction • Significant discrepancy in academic achievement due to information processing dysfunction .

24. Making the Commitment FORM-L-15: Request Accommodations for LD and/or ADHD • Basic Information: Names, center, etc • Documentation • qualifications of professionals • measurement of potential • measurement of information processing • measurement of current achievement • Accommodations requested

25. Steps in completing Approval for Accommodations The student must: • Get Form L-15 • Gather needed information from psychologists, psychiatrists and/or educators • Present completed Form L-15 to advocate or GED center administrator • Have form forwarded to GED State Administrator who approves or not approves

26. Making the Commitment What Do Students Need in the GED Classroom? • Instructional Modifications • Specialized Materials • Specialized Equipment • Trained Teachers • Support Services

27. Making the Commitment Where Can I Find Information About Instructional Modifications and Resources for Students?

28. Making the Commitment Florida GED Administrators’ Manual, Appendix A (Revised 2001) http://www.floridatechnet.org/bridges/links.htm This is the Florida Bridges to Practice site. It is devoted to providing training and support to Adults with Learning Disabilities. The site includes links to other sites, a newsletter and information about training opportunities available throughout Florida.

29. Making the Commitment Accommodations: Assisting Students with Disabilities, A Guide for Educators http://www.firn.edu/doe/commhome/accomm00.pdf Developed for the Florida K-12 system, this is an excellent guide for any educator. Pages 19-42 specifically address instructional modifications.

30. Making the Commitment National Resources for Adults with Learning Disabilities http://www.nifl.gov/nalld/resource.htm This site provides information on finding qualified professionals to diagnose disabilities, organizations that provide resources for adults with disabilities and a number of other areas.

31. Making the Commitment GEDTS - Accommodating Accommodations http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/%7Ekkid/gedhome.htm The GEDTS Resource Page provides information on the various accommodations available for students wishing to take the GED Tests. Includes very thorough directions for accurately completing a Form L-15 for Adults with Learning Disabilities.

32. Making the Commitment National Center for Learning Disabilities http://www.ncld.org This site provides information and tips about all aspects of Learning Disabilities. The site provides information applicable to both children and adults.

33. Making the Commitment Questions and Concerns