Resource Guide for Students with Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities often go undiagnosed until a person who is neurodivergent has been in a specific situation. For example, dyslexia was undetectable until societal demands required people to read. Now that a formal education requires significant reading, dyslexic students may experience disability at school.

In 2021, the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) reported that 19.4% of college undergraduates reported being disabled in 2015-2016. These students face various challenges, including comprehending verbal and nonverbal information, processing subject-specific concepts, and planning and organization. This resource guide illustrates the different types of learning disabilities and offers resources for students with disabilities.

Students with dyslexia experience challenges related to reading. While not all dyslexic students share the same experiences, these learners commonly have difficulty recognizing and breaking down the sounds of letters and retrieving previously-known words. Other common challenges include recalling phone numbers, addresses, and anything related to rote memory, spelling, and cursive writing.

Dyscalculic students struggle with math-related concepts. Otherwise known as “number dyslexia,” dyscalculia might mean a student finds it difficult to count backward and forward. Dyscalculics commonly struggle to solve simple math problems, sequence numbers, connect numbers to amounts, and read analog clocks.

Students with dysgraphia are challenged with written expression. Holding a pen is difficult for many, making it difficult to stay within the margins. And many dysgraphics are challenged by grammar and sentence structure and find it difficult to organize their thoughts when writing. There is often a distinct difference between dysgraphic students’ written and spoken experiences.

Despite its name, ADHD is not solely a deficit in attention and not everyone with ADHD experiences hyperactivity. Learners with ADHD are often challenged by an abundance of attention, making it difficult to regulate and control their focus. They sometimes also have difficulty with executive functioning, sensory sensitivities, and social environments.

NVLD affects social skills and abstract thinking, despite strong verbal skills. College students with NVLD may excel academically but struggle with executive functioning, sensory and social environments, and picking up on nonverbal cues. Teachers may miss signs of NVLD, leading to students being viewed as inattentive or defiant.

Students with learning disabilities may face significant challenges in higher education, which could be minimized or eliminated if their environments allowed students, professors, and staff to access support or make effective accommodations. Some students may find social environments challenging. Others must manage sensory sensitivities or spatial unawareness.

And students with ADHD may have difficulty with executive functioning, which includes time management and planning abilities. Students who struggle with executive functioning may miss deadlines or classes. Dyslexic, dysgraphic, and dyscalculic students generally notice having difficulty in specific subject areas.

Due to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits disability discrimination by public entities, disabled students can access accommodations and other resources at their schools. The ADA offers a general definition of disability, which is an “impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.” When considering that a lack of accommodation can be the impairment that makes a student’s neurodivergence, disability, or characteristic a challenge, students may find it vital to become familiar with and use the protections the ADA provides.

Colleges and universities offer a wide range of adaptive technology for students facing challenges in traditional learning environments. These may include word-prediction apps to help dyslexic students process text, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) software that speaks for nonverbal students, time-blocking software to help ADHD learners stay on task, and stress management tools.

Some schools offer reduced course loads for disabled students, including those who experience processing challenges and those with limited energy. This accommdation allows students to maintain full-time status while taking a smaller course load. Interested students should check with their school’s disability services office.

One common disability accommodation is extra time on tests. Students whose disabilities make it difficult to complete timed tests can request extra time. Some schools require documentation; others require students to have a lower-than-average speed in cognitive processing, such as slowness in reading comprehension as documented by standardized assessments.

Students who struggle to learn in traditional environments can request notetakers, which help give disabled students access to the information they would not have without support. Different schools have different notetaking policies. Some classes might have designated notetakers; in other cases, an instructor may share notes from their lectures.

Students with learning disabilities may have access to on-campus support services. Schools’ offices of disability services coordinate with instructors and other departments to provide accommodations. Disabled students can also seek out student groups to meet peers with similar disabilities. They can also find resident directors who are trained to support students with disabilities.

Many students with learning disabilities benefit from online and hybrid learning environments. For example, remote learning offers flexibility and can help students avoid overwhelming or distracting environments. Learning from home makes higher education more accessible to students who experience bullying and other discrimination for their disabilities. Remote learning may also work well for students who need certain software or lighting and acoustic conditions.

Community-based organizations that support disabled students sometimes partner with colleges and universities. Students should research resources within the surrounding community in addition to campus disability services.

Stay Focused is a Google Chrome extension that allows students to block time-wasting websites. This software uses task time tracking technology to break tasks into smaller, manageable portions. This can help students avoid social media and other time-wasting sites, boosting productivity.

Web Captioner provides real-time captioning, making lectures and events accessible to students who struggle to process speech. The captions appear within seconds, and the software is customizable, allowing students to change their language, font, color, background, and text position.

Powered by artificial intelligence, Ginger is a free writing assistant that provides context-based corrections in real time. Ginger is available both as a Google Chrome extension and as a desktop app. The software can help boost students’ creativity and increase writing speed.

The Dyslexia Toolbox is a Google Chrome extension that facilitates reading for dyslexic students. The software changes website fonts to OpenDyslexic, a font made for students with dyslexia. It also hides portions of pages to allow users to concentrate on specific passages of text.

Students with learning disabilities are neurodivergent people enrolled in school and may struggle in certain subjects or environments.

The range of challenges students with learning disabilities experience includes math, reading, writing, planning, and organization. These learners may also face bullying and discrimination, especially in social settings. For students whose neurodivergences include sensory sensitivities, working well in traditional learning environments can be difficult.

Absolutely. According to the NCES, nearly 20% of undergraduates reported a disability during the 2015-2016 academic year. Those who choose to enroll in college and who have learning disabilities may find it useful to advocate for any needed changes in their environments. They can consult the ADA to make sure their colleges accommodate them and enable them to succeed.

Colleges will only know if a student has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 plan if they share this information with their school’s disability services office. Colleges and universities do not use IEP or 504 plans as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) doesn’t apply to students who have graduated from high school.

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