Disabilities come in many shapes and sizes, and involve varying degrees of visibility. When a disability can be made nearly invisible, that’s often precisely what happens. This seems particularly true when it comes to learning disabilities. In fact, learning disabilities can be difficult to recognize, and adults who know they have one often choose to hide the problem.
Even discussing adult learning disabilities is dicey. Sure, childhood learning disabilities get a fair degree of press. But what happens when those kids with disabilities move on to high school and then college? What happens when they enter the workforce?
Learning disabilities are on the rise, thus more students with learning disabilities are entering college. While 90 percent of universities in the United States enroll students with learning disabilities, only a scant quarter of them offer meaningful support to those students.
Filling the gap at the college level are short-term programs that students can pursue on their own. These help with a range of skills, from managing attention spans and building strategies for listening to lectures, to help with note taking, to self-advocacy skills. These programs work, but only to the extent they are pursued. By college, many young adults with learning disabilities try to hide their challenges, seeking a new start that doesn’t hang them with a “disabled” label. Once these students graduate, the road remains difficult and the desire to hide remains intact.
In the United Kingdom, two-thirds of adults with learning disabilities want to work, but only 10 percent are able to find work, due to widespread perceptions that people with learning disabilities cannot hold a job. A few years ago, the Mencap charity launched a campaign to help workers with learning disabilities and better educate the general public.
Despite these efforts, widespread discrimination exists in the United Kingdom against people with learning disabilities. Roughly one in three Britons believe people with learning disabilities cannot live independently, let alone perform jobs.
In the United States, an estimated one in 10 adults has a learning disability, but the vast majority of these choose to hide their disability. “Underemployment” of these adults is common; that is, many of them choose junior roles because they are reluctant to seek help with juggling tasks associated with more senior roles that might be difficult for someone with dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD, or other learning disability. Instead, they avoid situations that might present a challenge.
It’s worth remembering that among the ranks of those with learning disabilities are people such as Henry Ford, Charles Schwab, Richard Branson, and even Albert Einstein. Had any of these individuals been driven into junior roles due to disability-related fear, we would be worse off as a society. http://bit.ly/aeMGR
Employers need to tap people with learning disabilities because they hold such rich potential—and often possess unique talents that are inherently tied to their disability. Things like modified training—offering taped sessions instead of booklets, or allowing frequent breaks—help immensely. Providing text reading programs or related supports can be useful.
Remembering the basics is also crucial: Developing policies and ensuring they are communicated and adhered to is perhaps the first and most important step.
Offering interaction with other adults with disabilities often is vital. Employee resource groups provide an ideal opportunity to come out of hiding and mingle with others who share the same or similar disabilities and would be a powerful tool for attracting and retaining workers with learning disabilities.
Ignoring this problem won’t work—learning disabilities will become more prevalent among working-age populations. Employers should begin now to ensure their disability efforts address all kinds of disabilities, including learning disabilities.
About the Author
Susan Welch is the executive director of Diversity Best Practices.
Follow Diversity Best Practices' coverage of disability issues on Twitter @DBPDisability.
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