The Learning Disabilities Association of Canada (LDAC) releases its long-awaited study on the societal costs of learning disabilities in Canada. The groundbreaking applied research study, Putting a Canadian Face on Learning Disabilities, took 3 years to develop.
The Study set out to find what it means to be a child, youth or adult with learning disabilities (LD) in Canada. In doing so, it discovered the remarkable resiliency of Canadians, both young and old, who live with the condition every day.
?The Putting a Canadian Face on Learning Disabilities study is unique,? said Dr. Alexander M. Wilson, the Study?s co-principal investigator, and Director of the Meighen Centre at Mount Allison University. ?It represents the first time that any disability organization in Canada has requested access to Statistics Canada data surveys. Our team examined ten different data sets?the most comprehensive look ever at the impact of living with a learning disability in Canada.?
Canadian Governments can do more to Enable Canadians with Learning Disabilities
Putting a Canadian Face on Learning Disabilities found that Canadian governments can do more to enable people with learning disabilities (LD). People with LD are often prevented from realizing success at school, at work, and in everyday activities. Achievements are often accomplished through factors outside government support, such as:
Finding a teacher who is trained to work with a student with LD.
Having family support that includes financial resources.
Finding the ?right? employer that understands learning disabilities and provides the necessary accommodations.
?A learning disability is a series of neurological conditions that severely affects a person?s capacity to perceive, interpret and manage information. Like any other medical condition, there needs to be early identification, interventions and supports to minimize the impact on individuals and the costs to Canadian society. With this support in place, Canadians with learning disabilities will have equitable opportunities to develop their chosen potential?, said Fraser Green, Chair of the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada.