The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and its amendments have been in existence for a little more than twenty years. Title One, which pertains to employment, has had a bearing on employment for persons with disabilities, particularly the high incidence category of learning disabilities, who for the most part work in competitive…

The impact of employment laws pertaining to individuals with learning disabilities in Canada and dyslexia in the UK were investigated via the extant research literature. Currently, there is very little research in this area despite Canada and the UK having laws in effect for decades. Surprisingly, their laws have been revamped despite an absence…

Indicator 14: Post-School Outcomes are assessed each year by every school district in every state to evaluate outcomes for all students with disabilities, including learning disabilities, beyond secondary school. Data collection is mandated to focus on post-secondary education and employment status just after leaving school-age programs. Some…

It is now well established that learning disabilities (LD) persist into the adult years, yet despite a developing literature base in this area, there is a paucity of evidence-based research to guide research and practice. Consistent with the demands of the adult stage of development, autonomy and self-determination are crucial to quality-of-life…

Self-disclosure for adults with learning disabilities is very complex after the beyond-school years. The issues of invisibility, risk/benefit, and the multiple contexts of adult functioning create many challenges in the process of disclosure. Moreover, self-disclosure, one element of the larger issue of self-determination, is viewed as an entry…

This article explored the use of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by individuals with learning disabilities (LD) in the workplace. A review of the extant literature revealed that people with LD were not likely to use the ADA as employees. Moreover, an analysis of selected, commonly used materials regarding transition indicated a lack of…

Findings from "Learning to Achieve: A Review of the Research Literature on Serving Adults With Learning Disabilities" will inform a new professional development program to be offered to practitioners and others working with adults with learning disabilities (LD). The six topics covered in the review--assessment, English language learners,…

This article introduces a special issue on employment of individuals with learning disabilities, produced in response to a conference sponsored by the President's Committee for the Employment of People with Disabilities and the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Key issues include transition into the workforce, social skills,…

Now almost 15 years after the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) data are emerging in the literature related to job entry and employment outcomes of adults with learning disabilities (LD). Although these data are derived from varying methodologies, they converge in three critical areas: Knowledge of the ADA, realities of…

Services for learning disabled adults are discussed through a comparison of their treatment in the Dutch and Danish delivery of services. Promising practices are related from a European perspective and questions are raised about the evolution of services to learning disabled adults in the United States. (Author/CL)

Interviews with 70 successful people with learning disabilities resulted in a model for successful employment. Elements include control, internal decision, adaptability, goal orientation, reframing, persistence, goodness of fit, learned creativity, proactivity, and social ecologies. (JOW)

With the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in the United States and the Canadian Chartre of Rights and Freedoms, there is a new work environment for individuals with learning disabilities (LD) in North America. This qualitative study sought to compare the employment experiences of 25 U. S. adults with LD and 24 Canadian adults with…

After initial efforts to maintain the traditional posture toward learning disabilities in the rewriting of the Rehabilitation Comprehensive Services and Developmental Disabilities Amendments of 1978 (P.L. 95-602), the Rehabilitation Services Administration yielded to a new conceptualization which will now allow the severely LD access to…

This study examined cognitive correlates of social perception in 32 learning-disabled elementary students. Three subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised and the Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity were used as measures. Subtests for Picture Arrangement and Comprehension seemed to have an inherent relation to social perceptual…

The consensus conference on learning disabilities and employment sponsored by the President's Committee on Employment of Persons with Disabilities in May 1990 is described. Decisions and proposals made in the key areas of work preparation, vocational entry, reasonable accommodation, job advancement, socioadaptability, attitudes, and definitions…