What Employers Should Know About Learning Disabilities

What is a learning disability? What should employers know about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? A learning disability (LD) is a neurological disorder that affects the brain’s ability to process The ADA is a federal civil information. Every person with a learning disability rights law that was is unique and has a different combination and passed in 1990 and degree of difficulties. These difficulties are amended in 2008. Its manifested in the acquisition and use of one or purpose is to protect more of the following areas of processing people with disabilities information: listening, speaking, reading, writing, from discrimination in reasoning, or mathematical abilities. employment and other

areas of life. Title I of the ADA prohibits Learning disabilities occur irrespective of race, culture or class. discrimination in employment and requires employers to provide reasonable People with LD possess average or above average accommodations for employees with intelligence levels, and often have varying areas of disabilities. This includes employers with 15 or ability, or “a weakness within a sea of strengths.” more employees, employment agencies, labor They tend to be creative, persistent, loyal, and organizations, and joint labor-management good problem-solvers, often achieving a high committees. For more information about the degree of success in the workplace when the ADA, see the “Accommodations and disability is accommodated and their strengths are Compliance Series” bulletin at utilized to the fullest. http://askjan.org/bulletins/adaaa1.htm. For a

copy of Title I of the ADA, Successful people who have LD include William see http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/ada.html. “Bill” Hewlett (Hewlett-Packard), Charles Schwab (Charles Schwab Foundation), Erin What are “reasonable accommodations” Brockovich and how much do they cost? (environmentalist),

Whoopi Goldberg In relation to the ADA, a reasonable (actress), Sir Richard accommodation is any modification or Branson (Virgin enterprises), Ingvar adjustment to a job or the work environment Kamprad (IKEA), Cher that will enable a qualified applicant or (singer), Octavia Spencer employee with a disability to participate in the (Oscar winning actress), application process or to perform essential job Paul Orfalea, (Kinko’s), functions. Reasonable accommodations also Michelle Carter (Olympic gold medalist), John T. include adjustments to ensure that a qualified Chambers (Cisco Systems), Ted Turner (TBS), Kiera individual with a disability has rights and Knightly (actress), and Bill Gates (Microsoft). privileges in employment equal to those of http://ldaamerica.org/pdf/publications/LDA- employees without disabilities. Flier_Assistive-Technologies.pdf Data collected by the Job Accommodation The following is only a sample of the Network (JAN) suggest that more than half of accommodation possibilities available. all accommodations cost nothing. Numerous other accommodation solutions Furthermore, JAN’s statistics show that most may exist. employers report financial benefits from providing accommodations due to reduced Sample LD Accommodations costs in terms of insurance, training new for the Workplace employees and increased worker productivity.

• Use screen-reading software, which highlights Tax Incentives and reads aloud the information on a computer screen.

Tax incentives are available to help • Allow employees to give verbal, rather than employers implement workplace written, responses or provide speech-to-text accommodations. Additional funding is software. available through several organizations. • Allow employees to organize their workspace Read JAN’s publication on tax incentives as best fits their strengths and ideas for organization. at http://askjan.org/media/tax.html and visit its funding inks at • Color-code materials, folders, labels, etc. http://askjan.org/links/Funding/GeneralInfo. • Promote the use of calendars and schedulers html for additional information. that provide digital reminders of meetings, deadlines, upcoming tasks, etc.

• Provide checklists for tasks. What are typical workplace accommodations • Use flowcharts to describe steps of complicated for people with learning disabilities? processes.

Employees with learning disabilities may • Allow the use of a smart pen, smart phone, or voice-activated recorder to record verbal experience various types of limitations, just as instructions. they also have various areas of strengths. Also, the degree of limitation will vary among • Divide large assignments into smaller tasks with individuals. Be aware that not all people with specific goals. learning disabilities need accommodations to • Teach the employee to “learn the ropes” by perform their jobs and many others may only initially providing a job mentor. need a few accommodations. Furthermore, • Allow the use of a calculator or a talking there are numerous free or inexpensive calculator if needed. assistive technologies available to provide effective accommodations for many employees • Provide additional training time on new tasks or with LD. For more on assistive technology processes. ideas, go to Revised August 2018

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