Chapter Five

An Employment Tool

For learners who may have a learning disability

• Introduction
• Employment Barriers for Adults with Learning Disabilities
• Specific challenges associated with Learning Disabilities in the workplace
• Keys to Success
• Good employment fit or match
• Advocacy
  • Barriers to Self-Advocacy
  • How to Effectively Self-Advocate
    • Understanding the Learning Disability
    • Learner's legal rights and responsibilities
    • Social Skills for seeking help and cooperation
    • Ways to request accommodation
    • Emphasis on meeting individual responsibilities
    • Appropriate use of self-advocacy curricula
• Disclosure
  • How to disclose
  • When to disclose
• Accommodations
• Resources for Practitioners

"Learning disabilities do not preclude individuals from becoming successful, from being leaders in their organizations or, even better, in their fields. There are countless examples of adults with LD across the country who have made it in professions, in business and industry, in politics and the arts, and some who have become well-known entrepreneurs" (Gerber, et al., 1992; Reiff, et al., 1997).¹