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Serving Adults with Special Learning Needs
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Texas’ Quest to Serve Students with Special
Learning Needs,
Especially those with Learning Disabilities
by Tracy Hendrix
Texas LEARNS
The mission of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) “is
to provide leadership, guidance, and resources to help schools
meet the educational needs of all students.” The mission
of adult education and literacy is to “ensure that all adults
who live in Texas have the skills necessary to function effectively,
in their personal and family lives, in the workplace, and in the
community.” Texas LEARNS, TEA and Adult Education Programs
in Texas are committed to providing an accessible and supportive
environment for students with disabilities. Equal access for qualified
students with disabilities is an obligation of Texas LEARNS, TEA
and Adult Education Programs in Texas under Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990. Texas LEARNS, TEA and Adult Education Programs in
Texas do not discriminate on the basis of disability against otherwise
qualified individuals in any program, service or activity offered.
Texas LEARNS, TEA and Adult Education Programs in Texas are committed
to assuring that no otherwise qualified individual with a disability
is excluded, denied services, segregated or otherwise treated differently
than other individuals because of the absence of auxiliary aids
or other appropriate services; however, accommodations cannot result
in an undue burden to Texas LEARNS, TEA, and Adult Education Programs
in Texas or fundamentally alter the requirements essential to a
program of instruction.
Policy Section of the Fall 2006 DRAFT
“Texas Adult Education Programs Disability Policy
and Guidance Including Learning Disabilities and
Those with Special Learning Needs”
So, this is the mission. Now the question is, how will Texas serve this
population of students that make up at least 30-80% of our adult education
classrooms? Adult Education teachers are some of the most innovative
teachers in the field and they know that not only do many adults who
come to Adult Education classes have special learning needs, but they
also have co-existing conditions which complicate the learning process
even further. Co-existing conditions may include problems such as not
enough money to pay the bills, sick children, depression and an absent
parent. Many adult education students have the ability to survive “on
the streets,” but do not have the ability to survive in the classroom
or job setting.
Since the inception of Texas LEARNS, our office has done extensive research
into many types of programs, vendors and consultants who deliver training
and screening assessments for students who may have special learning
needs. Texas LEARNS has met with several national experts on learning
disabilities to find out how their proposals could serve the needs of
Texas. For a state the size of Texas, any decision made with regard to
implementation of a professional development plan will have national
impact. For that reason, Texas LEARNS has been very careful to cover
all the bases with regard to the state policy, future approval of a professional
development plan, and then implementation of that plan.
This year, the goal of Texas LEARNS is to submit the “Texas Adult
Education Programs Disability Policy and Guidance Including Learning
Disabilities and Those with Special Learning Needs” manual to the
Office of Vocational Adult Education (OVAE). The first draft of the policy
manual was reviewed and discussed at length by the Texas LEARNS Advisory
Committee. Suggestions were taken into consideration and another draft
of the policy was developed with the help of national expert on learning
disabilities, Neil Sturomski. The revised policy was again reviewed at
the most recent Advisory Committee meeting with suggestions taken into
consideration and revisions made. Currently, the draft of the policy
has been submitted to TEA for legal review. Once TEA has given their
stamp of approval, the final policy guideline document will be submitted
to OVAE.
In the next few months, Texas LEARNS will be writing a Request for Application
(RFA) to bid out the professional development piece of training teachers
in Texas how to work with students who have special learning needs and
disabilities. Once the decision has been made, based on the criteria
of the competitive grant, then the professional development training
will begin during 2007. It is important to remember that this process
of training will be comparable to a complete systems change which takes
time, patience, and much practice. It will be a process that will probably
take several years to penetrate all layers of staff in Adult Education
programs.
One of the important criteria will be that the training of content and
methods should fit into any classroom whether for ABE or ESL students,
and that it should highlight methods that can be incorporated into all
phases of curriculum for all students, whether or not they have been
identified as having special learning needs.
What can adult education teachers and staff do to prepare for the upcoming
professional development training? If you have not already done so, take
advantage of Bridges to Practice or other trainings offered for learning
disabilities. There is so much information to learn on this issue that
any training you can attend will help you and your program begin to meet
the needs of students in the classroom.
For more information on one of the proposals of professional development
from the TETN on August 21 with Neil Sturomski, please refer to the following
website. http://www-tcall.tamu.edu/texaslearns/docs/8-06tetn/8-06tetn.html
About the Author
Tracy Hendrix is the East Region Grant Services Manager at Texas
LEARNS. Prior to working for Texas LEARNS, she worked in the Adult Education
Program at North Harris College for 9 years as a Counselor, Coordinator
and Chief GED Examiner.
She is a graduate of Texas Tech University and has a background in
social work, teaching, and counseling.
 
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