General Statistic

• It is estimated 2%-4% of the college student population may be affected by AD/HD.
  
  Weyandt, L.L., Iwaszuk, W., Fulton, K. Olerton, M., Beatty, N., Fouts, H., Schepman, S., Greenlaw, C. (2003). The internal restless scale: Performance of college students with and without ADHD. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 36 (4), 382-390.


• "In 1999-2000, 9 percent of all undergraduate students in degree-granting institutions reported having a disability that created difficulties for them as a student. About half of these students were enrolled at public 2-year institutions, and another 26 percent were enrolled at public 4-year institutions. The percentage of students with disabilities was higher at public 2-year and private for-profit institutions than at public and private not-for-profit 4-year institutions".
  


• Of the students with disabilities, 11% reported a learning disability or Attention Deficit Disorder. (This means that 1% of undergraduate students in degree-granting institutions reported having an LD or ADD.)
  
  U.S. Department of Education (2003). Report on the Condition of Education: Contexts of Postsecondary Education http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/2003/section5/indicator34.asp


• This number of students with LD in postsecondary institutions is difficult to accurately measure, due to varying diagnostic criteria, availability of diagnostic resources, awareness of LD, presence of other diagnoses that co-occur with LD, and under-reporting from individuals. Estimates of the percentage of students with LD in postsecondary institutions range from 46%-61% of postsecondary students with disabilities.
  
  Wolanin, T.R., & Steele, P.E. (2004). Higher education opportunities for students with disabilities: A primer for policymakers. Washington, DC: The Institute for Higher Education Policy.


• The percent of freshmen entering 4-year colleges in 2000 that self-report having a disability of any type = 6% (approx. 66,000 out of 1.1 million freshmen)
  
• The percent of freshmen with a disability entering a 4-year college in 2000 who reported having a learning disability = 40.4% (up from 16% in 1988).
  
• The percent of freshmen entering a 4-year college in 2000 with an LD=2.42% (approx. 26,700 out of 1.1 million freshmen).
  
• "Learning disability" is the fastest growing category of reported disabilities among college students today.
  
  Henderson, C. (2001). College Freshmen with Disabilities: A Biennial Statistical Profile. Heath Resource Center. American Council on Education. http://www.heath.gwu.edu/PDFs/collegefreshmen.pdf


• It is rare for employees to disclose their LD in the workplace.
  Price, L., Gerber, P.J. & Mulligan, R. (2003). "The American with Disabilities Act and adults with learning disabilities as employees: Realities of the workplace", Remedial and Special Education, 24(6), 350-358.

Useful Websites

• http://www.washington.edu/doit/
  Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology (DO-IT) aims to increase the participation of persons with disabilities through the use of technologies. DO-ITs provides free resources on topics such as universal design, accessibility, and usability.
  
• http://www.ldonline.org/
  Learning Disabilities Online provides resources for learning disabilities and ADHD. Sections are available for educators, parents, and kids.
  
• http://www.ldaamerica.org/index.cfm
  The Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) offers a variety of information on learning disabilities and ADHD. Resources for educators, administrators, parents, and adults with learning disabilities are available. Information on joining local LDA chapters is also available.
  
• http://dsc.ucsf.edu/main.php
  The Disability Statistics Center produces and disseminates policy-relevant statistical information on the demographics and status of people with disabilities in American society. The Center's work focuses on how that status is changing over time with regard to employment, access to technology, health care, community-based services, and other aspects of independent living and participation in society.
  
• http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/ped/disabilitystatistics
  Housed at Cornell University, Disability Statistics is an on-line resource that condenses several data sources into a single Internet resource. It also provides essential background information on key issues related to disability statistics.
  
• http://www.ncset.org
  Among other things, the National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET) focuses on ensuring that students achieve positive postschool results in accessing postsecondary education, meaningful employment, independent living and participation in all aspects of community life. Headquartered at the Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota, NCSET is a partnership of six major organizations.
  
• http://www.webaim.org/articles/cognitive/
  webaim.org (Web Accessibility in Mind) offers articles, resources, and tools to support the development of accessible websites. This page describes some common struggles for people with learning disabilities and how those issues affect their web experiences.
  
• http://www.diveintoaccessibility.org/
  diveintoaccessibility.org offers accessibility tips, based on 'personas' who have different types of disabilities.
  
• http://www.facultyware.uconn.edu/udi_factsheet.cfm
  Facultyware was project funded by the Department of Education to offer tools for Universal Design of Instruction (UDI). The website offers principles and examples of UDI:
  
  "Universal Design for Instruction (UDI) is an approach to teaching that consists of the proactive design and use of inclusive instructional strategies that benefit a broad range of learners including students with disabilities. The nine Principles of UDI provide a framework for college faculty to use when designing or revising instruction to be responsive to diverse student learners and to minimize the need for "special" accommodations and retrofitted changes to the learning environment. UDI operates on the premise that the planning and delivery of instruction as well as the evaluation of learning can incorporate inclusive attributes that embrace diversity in learners without compromising academic standards."
  
  Scott, S.S., McGuire, J.M., & Embry, P. (2002). Universal design for instruction fact sheet. Storrs: University of Connecticut, Center on Postsecondary Education and Disability.

Definitions of LDs

Learning Disability - A core cognitive deficit or a disorder in one or more psychological processes. The deficit or disorder is predictive of an imperfect ability to learn. The deficit or disorder is intrinsic to the individual.

Source: Learning Disabilities Roundtable. (2002, July) Specific Learning Disabilities: Finding Common Ground. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research. Retrieved from: http:www.ncld.org/advocacy/CommonGround.doc

Dyslexia - A brain-based disorder that results from difficulty processing sounds in language. Affects ability to learn to read, write, and spell. Dyslexia accounts for 80% of all LDs.

Source: "Unexpected weakness in a sea of strength" - Sally Shaywitz, Overcoming Dyslexia, 2003.

Dysgraphia - Difficulty with handwriting. Interferes with ability to express ideas in writing. Causes poor written output and difficulty focusing attention. Remediation is most effective in young children.

Dyscalculia - Range of life-long LDs that involve math. Various causes: Language processing, Visual - spatial relationships, Poor memory for facts, Difficulty sequencing steps. Treatment includes accommodations and understanding learning style.

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) - Impairments in the brain circuits that prioritize, integrate, and regulate other cognitive functions. Metaphor: an orchestra without a conductor. A cluster of cognitive impairments make up ADD syndrome

Source: Thomas E. Brown, Attention Deficit Disorder, 2005

Misconceptions about ADD:

• ADD is just a lack of willpower.
• ADD is a simple problem of being hyperactive or not listening when someone is talking to you.
• Children with ADD usually outgrow it in their teenage years.
• Only children can be diagnosed with ADD.
• Medicine alone will take care of the problem.