Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic has always been one of my top ten recommended resources, but they have recently changed their name to Learning Ally.  And they are better than ever!  

I recently attended an event hosted by Learning Ally entitled, ‘The Art of Self-Advocacy.’ It was held on a Sunday afternoon and attended by a number of families dealing with issues related to dyslexia or other learning disabilities. During this event many children (and parents) spoke about how they learned to effectively advocate for themselves. It was inspiring to watch as students as young as six or seven spoke about the steps they had taken to help teachers understand how they learned best.  They told about asking for accommodations and modifications ranging from extended time on tests to being able to record a teacher’s lecture.  Quite often these requests were met with approval, especially since the student had taken the time to introduce themselves, usually through the use of an impressive Power Point presentation.  The introduction included information about who they are as a person as well as an overview of who they are as a learner and the specifics of what works best for them in the classroom.  In the children’s experience this was usually enough to persuade teachers to work in partnership with them and help them to more effectively and efficiently learn the information.

There were however, a few examples of teachers who denied requests.  As I listened to these stories of teachers refusing to adapt their teaching, I was very confused.  I could potentially find it easier to understand why a teacher would not want him/herself recorded, but who could say no a child requesting more time to finish a test?  Isn’t the education process about allowing the learner to demonstrate what they know, not how long it takes them to produce this knowledge?  Oh sorry…  This is about the resource, not my views on education.  Back to the topic!

In addition to these wonderful events, Learning Ally provides support and resources to parents, as well as an extensive library of audiobooks.  Audiobooks are a great resource for those who struggle with the reading process.  If you’d like to check them out, here’s the link – http://www.learningally.org/