Case Study

Interview with an adult with learning disabilities

Jonathan West

SELD 688 – Summer 2009

Virginia Commonwealth University

Dr. Paul Gerber

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My interview was with a 24 year old woman who I found contact

with through the website of The Learning Disabilities Council

(www.ldcouncil.org) based in Richmond, Virginia. Her mother is the

executive director and responded to an email inquiry that I sent via their

website. She responded suggesting that her daughter would be a good

candidate for the interview. For the sake of anonymity, I will call the

interviewee Cindy. Cindy works full-time and also is taking classes at

college and wants to get her degree. She was fairly comfortable talking

about her learning disability (LD) on almost all topics.

The Interview

How has your learning disability impacted your life, as you can

think about it – in school (a bit), and as an adult (mostly focus on this

area)? Cindy noticed a difference from the time she was in high school

and how it is now for her in college. In high school she said that there

were people to help whereas in college it has been more difficult. She

said that the university environment does not take into consideration

people with LD, especially those with invisible types of LD. She said that

she does not always speak her mind in class because it may look like she

“doesn’t get it” to others in the class. It seemed like she was careful
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about saying something that would encourage other students to think she

is different or even maybe unintelligent.

While at college she has found different reactions from different

departments about working with her needs and any compensation for her

LD. Most teachers have been very willing to do whatever was needed to

help her, while others did not know what to do and were less willing to

help her. She said she remembers the very helpful teachers, but also

remembers those who were the most difficult.

Cindy is taking just one class at a time at college while working

fulltime. She said her grades are most important. She realizes that this

may be different than most students; however, this is what she needs to

do to keep her grades up. She expressed a strong desire to get a degree

even if it took a longer time and hard work.

What are the LD challenges you face? Cindy said that she struggles

with writing, spelling, processing and comprehension. She said that a

main challenge for her is comprehension – to put things into words. It

takes more time for her to write.

When did you find out you were LD? What was your reaction? Cindy

found out she had LD when she was in the first grade. She did not really

understand what it meant in the first grade. She said she just “shrugged
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it off” and thought that everyone had the same problems. Later, as she

went through her school years she found out she was different than most

of the students in her classes. She said that during school most of the

time she did not let having LD bother her. She found the teachers

understanding and helpful; however, she said it was difficult to explain to

other students. Students often wondered why she was able to leave the

class at times (when most did not) to get help and one point she said that

other students often mention was that she had more time on tests and

even went into another room. Most other students did not understand

when she received accommodations. She said that students without LD

did not understand what it meant to be LD. She said that she has seen

other students who she thought had LD but were not getting help and

that these students often think of themselves as ‘stupid’. She said she

sees this in college, too.

Does LD affect or not affect your work? If so, what kind of

accommodations do you use to help you? Cindy said she while she is at

work she does not always have the time she wishes when she is writing

something and that sometimes she finds mistakes later and sometimes

she misses something and has to redo it. She said, “spell-check is my best

friend.” Sometimes the spell check does not even work because the way
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she spells is not recognizable. However, she often asks other people at

work to proofread something she’s written to see if they catch anything.

She said the group she works with wants her to ask for help. Cindy said

that one way she accommodates for her LD is to follow routines. She said

some things she does may look weird to others, but they work for her.

The mental preparedness of a routine helps to decrease anxiety for her.

Cindy said that she has not disclosed her LD at work. However, she

said that if certain questions were asked pertaining to the quality of her

work, she would disclose. She said that if she does her work and gets

things done, then she does not feel the need tell anyone about her LD.

She does not think her employer needs to know. She manages her

accommodation without having anyone else know about it. She said she

chose her job because “she likes doing what I’m doing”. She did not

really consider her LD when choosing a job. She said it may take her a

little longer to do her work, but she felt it was important that a person

with LD do whatever they wanted to do. She said she knows people with

LD who are doctors, dentists and other professions

How does LD affect other aspects of life – daily living, social life,

family, and community? Cindy said she has “routines for everything” in

all aspects of her life. She has been doing these for so long that she could
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not break down what a routine was for her, but she said that going

through school helped her to form routines. She would do certain things

in a certain place, like take a test in a quiet room. And there were

certain things she did before a test to help her become mentally

prepared.

When asked about the impact of her LD on her social life, she said

that she has not really seen an impact. Some of her friends know and

others do not. She said that one of the ways that her LD is impacts her is

that sometimes she will say something out of context. A word or words

will come out that she did not mean to say. In these situations with her

friends, family or work, she said that she “laughs it off so I don’t look

stupid”.

In her family life she said that she can discuss her LD with one side

of her family but not with the other side. She said that sometimes if

there is a topic of conversation that she is not familiar with, she will

usually choose not to engage so that she does not say something out of

context. She will just listen to learn about the topic. This something she

does also with her peers.

Cindy said her mother was a critical part of her life and mentioned

how she had always been there to help her when she was in school. Her
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mother stood up for her rights, helping her to get what she needed. She

said that her mother was “her backbone”, especially during her school

years.

Do you have children? How does it work out? Cindy does not have

any children.

Do you use any assistive technology? Besides the spell check and

work, Cindy does not use any assistive technology.

Do you remember any critical incidences (magic moments), positive

or negative, around LD? ; Cindy said that she could not thing of any magic

moments or critical incidences, either positive or negative, in relation to

her LD.

In what ways do you feel successful? What strategies or other

things have helped you? Cindy feels that the position she has at her work

is a reflection of success for her and where she is in her career. When

asked if she would be willing to share what she did for work, she did not

feel comfortable to tell about this. She also said that she considers that

graduating and getting a degree a future success that she’s working

towards. She still has some ways to go to reach her goals, but she realizes

that where she is right now is also a measure of success. She wants to go
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further and accomplish more to be fulfilled, but that this will take some

time.

Regarding strategies she has used for success, Cindy mentioned she

always tries to do better, always improve, to do better the next day than

the day before.

Is there anything you depend on other people for? When asked if

there was anything that she depended on others for, Cindy emphatically

said, “nothing!”

What are some of the positive things, if any, do you attribute to

LD? Cindy said that she has especially more sensitivity to other people

with LD. She said that her sensitivity also carries over to people in

general too.

Do you disclose other than work situations? How much? When? Cindy

said that she seldom discloses her LD, even in work situations. She did

mention that some of her friends know, but that others do not. With

some friends she seems comfortable and others not.

Did you have any mentors? Do you mentor any others? When asked

if she had any mentors, Cindy first said no, then, on further reflection she

shared how her seventh and eighth grade teachers were especially helpful

and still remembers them, even though it was a long time ago.
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How has LD changed from childhood to adulthood, if it has? Cindy

said that it has not changed so much but feels that high school does not

prepare a person with LD to go to college. She felt much more support

when she was in high school than in college.

My Reaction

My reaction to the interview with Cindy encompassed a few

different aspects. I was struck by Cindy’s resolve to strive to do better

and improve her life despite the challenges she faces through her LD. She

did not seem to feel like there was any choice. It was as if challenges are

a fact of life and she just needed to work to overcome them, even if she

was slower than other people or lacked some abilities. I was also struck

by Cindy’s strong feeling of the need to fit in with others around her. I

noticed this particularly when she talked about disclosure and how she

has never disclosed at work and seldom with friends.

Another point that made an impression on me was the important

role her mother has played in her life. I could sense that the love and

support of her mother, in particular, has been a pillar in her life.

I was also struck by her understanding of herself - her strengths and

weakness, and how to adapt where needed. It seems like she is able to
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reframe to a high degree in most aspects of her life so that she can

function effectively and more efficiently.

My sense is that Cindy has a high degree of self-determination and

has set goals for herself that seem realistic. It seems like it is important

for her to be as normal as possible and that her LD is just a part of her

life that she has to deal with.

In summary, I am glad to have had the opportunity to interview

Cindy. I feel I now have a deeper insight into some of the many facets of

life that a person with learning disabilities faces. On reflection following

the interview, I have looked a little differently on the challenges I face in

my own life. I have more appreciation of the strengths that I am aware of

and would like to become better aware of those which I am currently

unaware. However, I feel I am now more aware of how I could become

more accepting of my weaknesses and limitations and actually be more

conscious of adjusting and adapting to be more effective and efficient in

various aspects of my life.