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Reading and Learning Disabilities: A Resource GuideOrganizational Resources |
CreditsSourceNational Information Center ContentsIntroductionA look at learning disabilities in children and youth Helping Your Child Learn Adults with Reading or Learning Problems Information Resources from NICHCY's Database Organizational Resources ForumsLearning and Other DisabilitiesRelated ArticlesGeneral Information about Learning DisabilitiesLearning Disabilities |
This section lists organizations that can be of help to parents who have a child with a reading problem or learning disability, to adults who would like to improve their reading or learning skills, and to educators and other professionals who work with students who are having difficulty learning. Some organizations provide information and referral that is best suited for parents. Others work primarily with adults with learning disabilities. Still others provide information targeted for teachers and other service providers. Under each name and address, you will see the line "Resource Useful To," followed by the groups (parents, adults, or educators) who will find this organization most helpful. National Clearinghouses and Government and State Agencies
Division of Adult Education and Literacy Clearinghouse Resource Useful To: Adults; Educators (working with adults) This Clearinghouse can provide the adult education community with resources in adult education, including putting adults in contact with the Office of Adult Education within their state. Fact sheets, bibliographies, directories, and other publications are available related to adults who have special learning needs.
ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education Resource Useful To: Parents; Educators (of school-age children) This ERIC Clearinghouse makes available numerous publications on learning disabilities, including Readings about Children and Youth with Learning Disabilities (Digest Number E465R).
ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication (ERIC/REC) Resource Useful To: Parents; Adults; Educators The Clearinghouse is concerned with the acquisition of functional competence in reading, writing, speaking, and listening at all educational levels and in all social contexts. The Clearinghouse makes available bibliographies on a variety of reading topics, including learning disabilities and reading. An offshoot of the Clearinghouse is the Family Literacy Center, whose purpose is to encourage parents to participate in their children's academic development while simultaneously improving their own literacy. An audio journal called Parents and Children Together is published periodically by the Family Literacy Center. Each issue is filled with suggestions for involving children in reading, practical reading activities that parents can do with their children, recommendations for books to read and, of course, a read-along story accompanied by a cassette tape. A free sample of this material is available upon request.
HEATH Resource Center Resource Useful To: Parents (of young LD adults); Adults HEATH is a national clearinghouse on postsecondary education for individuals with disabilities. HEATH distributes a publication called Resources for Adults with Learning Disabilities and has information on how and where adults with learning disabilities can get training after high school. This includes information about vocational preparation programs, adult education, and college.
National Adult Literacy and Learning Disabilities Center The Center is a national resource for information exchange regarding learning disabilities and their impact on the provision of literacy services. A main function of the Center is to serve as a national exchange network for the sharing of information, research, and resources regarding the relationship between adult literacy and learning disabilities.
National Clearinghouse on Literacy Education (NCLE) Resource Useful To: Educators (of adults with limited English proficiency) NCLE is the only national clearinghouse for adult English as a second language (ESL) and literacy information. NCLE collects, analyzes, and abstracts documents on literacy education for adults with limited English proficiency (LEP) and out-of-school youth. Included are research reports, instructional and assessment materials, program descriptions and evaluations, and teacher/tutor training guides. Educators can call to find out resources available for working with LEP adults and out-of-school youth with literacy problems. NCLE maintains a resource center that includes a database of over 5,000 individuals and literacy programs working with LEP adults.
National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY) Resource Useful To: Parents; Educators NICHCY can provide parents with information about special education and the rights children and youth with disabilities have under the law. NICHCY can also provide parents and others with a State Resource Sheet, useful for identifying resources within their state. This includes names, addresses, and telephone numbers of state agencies, disability organizations, and parent groups serving individuals with disabilities and their families. A variety of other publications on disability issues is available free of charge. A Publications List is available upon request.
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) Resource Useful To: Parents; Adults Many individuals with learning disabilities may be able to borrow "talking books" (books on tape) from NLS, but they must first establish their eligibility for the program. Call or write NLS and ask for an application form for reading disabilities and Talking Books and Reading Disabilities, a factsheet outlining the eligibility requirements for persons with learning disabilities. Once eligibility is established, the person can borrow, on tape, most of the same books that public libraries make available in print.
State Department of Education Resource Useful To: Adults; Educators The State Department of Education in each state should have a department concerned with adult education or literacy. This office can usually refer adult callers to adult education or literacy programs within their community. Technical assistance, information, and referral may be available to educators working with school-age children with learning disabilities or with adults with literacy concerns.
Vocational Rehabilitation Office Resource Useful To: Adults Through the Vocational Rehabilitation system, adults with learning disabilities may be able to get information and referral. Services may also be available, such as literacy and job training. |
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National Learning Disabilities Organizations
Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD) Resource Useful To: Educators The Council for Learning Disabilities provides services to professionals who work with individuals with learning disabilities. Members include educators, diagnosticians, psychologists, physicians, optometrists, and speech, occupational, and physical therapists. All members receive the Learning Disability Quarterly, as well as the LD Forum, a teacher-oriented newsletter.
Division for Learning Disabilities Resource Useful To: Educators The Division for Learning Disabilities is one of the many special organizations within the Council for Exceptional Children. DLD publishes its own journal (Learning Disabilities Research and Practice) and newsletter. Teachers and other service providers can contact DLD about learning disabilities, publications, and membership.
Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) Useful Resource for: Parents; Adults; Educators The Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) has 50 state affiliates with more than 775 local chapters. The national office has a resource center of over 500 publications for sale. It also operates a film rental service. Call the national LDA office to receive a free information packet and referral to the nearest local chapter.
National Center for Learning Disabilities Resource Useful To: Parents; Educators The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) is a national, not-for-profit organization committed to improving the lives of millions of Americans affected by learning disabilities. Services include: national information and referral; raising public awareness and understanding; educational programs; and legislative advocacy. NCLD provides educational tools to heighten understanding of learning disabilities, including: the annual publication called THEIR WORLD and the video kit "We Can Learn"; regular newsletters; informative articles; and specific state-by-state resource listings (e.g., schools and diagnostic clinics). Memberships are available to individuals and institutions.
Orton Dyslexia Society Resource Useful To: Parents; Adults (with dyslexia); Educators The Orton Dyslexia Society is the only national nonprofit organization solely concerned with dyslexia. The Society provides a packet of basic information called "Basic Facts about Dsylexia: What Everyone Should Know." Since it is a nonprofit organization, the Society must change a $5.00 fee for producing, handling, and mailing this information. Two other booklets that are available in the Orton Emeritus Series are "Doctors Ask Questions about Dyslexia" and "The Other Sixteen Hours: Social and Emotional Problems of Dyslexia." The Society has over 40 branches across the country and in Canada and Israel which offer programs in information and referral, government affairs, education, research, and publications. Persons seeking resources, such as diagnosticians, educational therapists, tutors, and teacher trainers may call the Society for the names of service providers in their zip-code area. The Society also publishes a scholarly journal, Annals of Dyslexia, and a quarterly newsletter, Perspectives on Dyslexia. Also available are two publications dealing with language and teacher education and several collections of papers by noted experts in the field of dyslexia.
Recording for the Blind (RFB) Resource Useful To: Individuals (beyond the fourth grade) with learning disabilities who cannot read standard print material Recording for the Blind (RFB) is a nonprofit service organization that provides educational and professional books in accessible media to people with print disabilities. RFB has an extensive free library of books on audiocassette, covering all subjects and all academic levels from fourth grade through postgraduate studies. An additional service is E-text -- books on computer disk, which are available for purchase. The E-text collection presently contains primarily computer titles. RFB's services are available to persons with a verified visual, physical, or specific learning disability that substantially limits reading. To become a lifetime member of RFB, you must complete an application for service (which contains a "disability verification" and "certification") and include a one-time nominal registration fee. An application form is available from RFB's Customer Services Department (1-800-221-4792). National Literacy Organizations
Laubach Literacy Action (LLA) Resource Useful To: Adults; Educators LLA is the largest network of adult literacy programs in the United States. The programs provide literacy instruction through the use of trained volunteers. Adults interested in improving their reading can call to find out if an affiliate provides instruction in or near their community. Educators can contact the New Readers Press, a partner of LLA, for materials they can use in literacy, adult basic education, and work force literacy programs. New Readers Press's telephone number is: 1-800-448-8878.
Literacy Volunteers of America Resource Useful To: Adults This is a non-profit organization which combats illiteracy through a network of community volunteer literacy programs. These affiliates provide individualized student-centered instruction in both basic literacy and English as a Second Language (ESL) for adults and teens. More than 1000,000 tutors and students are involved in nearly 450 programs located in 40 states.
National Contact Hotline Resource Useful To: Adults Contact Center, Inc., a 25-year old information and referral agency, operates this national hotline to help individuals with literacy problems. This organization maintains a database of over 12,000 literacy programs across the country. The hotline operates seven days a week, 24 hours a day and is staffed with Spanish/English bilingual operators on each shift. Call the hotline to get information about literacy providers in your community. Additional, follow-up information will also be sent through the mail. Back to the Top |
