Step to Independence: Soar to Success

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Step to IndependenceSoar to Success

• Speaker Dale S. Brown
• Dispel the Myths
• Southwest Branch International Dyslexia
  Association Conference February 21, 2009

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Trends of Todays World

• Recession
• Technological Advancement
• Social Isolation
• Information Overload
• Changing Role of Reading

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Strengths of People with LD and Dyslexia
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Steps to Independence

• Academic Skills
• Independent Living Skills
• Social Skills

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Academic Skills

• Reading
• Literacy Skills
• Math and Technical Skills

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Independent Living Skills

• Credit Card Use and Other Financial Skills
• Transportation
• Accommodating Learning Disabilities
• Technology
• Self-Advocacy

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Social Skills Challenges

• Perceptual Problems
• Difficulties with Language
• Physical Signs of Learning Disabilities
• Experiences of Being Rejected by Other People

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Social Skill Accommodation Requests

• Please call people by name during the meeting.
• Please call on me when you want me to speak.
• If I talk too loud, please let me know.
• My staring sometimes bothers people. I hope you
  are okay with it, because I often dont control
  my eye muscles.

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Aspects of social expression

• Words
• Tone of Voice
• Body Language
• Facial Expression

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Help them face and embrace their LD

• Help them obtain a diagnosis and understand their
  strengths and weaknesses.
• Form communities of learning that embrace
  diversity.
• Learn about internal and external oppression.

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How oppression works

• External oppression-the actual experience,
  barrier or difficulty caused by the learning
  disability
• Internalized oppression- When the person develops
  negative beliefs about themselves because of the
  way they react to these experiences

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A time you overcame internalized opppression

• When did you think you couldnt do something, but
  were able to do it anyway?
• When did you take a stand against injustice?
• When did you succeed at a goal that was a stretch
  for you
• When did you do something that people said that
  you couldnt do?
• This incident can be minor or major. It could
  have taken place at any time in your life.

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Empower people with LD to overcome internal
oppression

• Appreciate their real strengths and their
  efforts.
• Explain they can stop internalized oppression.
• Tell them how to talk back to negative thoughts.
• Ask questions to raise self esteem.
• Rigorously analyze strengths.

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Help them soar to success

• Ask them questions such as
• What would you like to do that you are not doing
  now?
• If you could change the world to be a better
  place, what would you change?
• When you daydream about your future, what are you
  thinking about?
• What do you like doing?
• What are you doing when people really admire you?

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Job search and career planning

• Encourage career awareness at young age.
• Teach creative job hunting and informational
  interviewing.
• Help them handle the dilemma of disclosure.
• Have them be contributing members of the learning
  community. Children who rebel against
  accountability often rise to responsibility.

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www.ldonline.org
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How can you use your strengths to inspire and
empower your students with learning disabilities?

• What can you do differently?
• How can you connect in community with the people
  here?

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To contact speaker

• Dale S. Brown
• dale-brown_at_mindspring.com