OcTOBER
      12,
      2006
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      CADRE
      @
      9
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      CAMPUS
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Learning
      disabilities
      common
      among
      Canadians,
      but
      few
      are
      diagnosed
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Stacey
      Murray
     
     
      Advertising
      Manager
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Cutline:
      Sarah
      Love
      works
      with
      a
     
     
      reading
      program
      at
      Student
     
     
      Accesibility
      Services.
      She
      was
     
     
      diagnosed
      with
      several
      learning
     
     
      disabilities
      in
      2000,
      including
      dyslexia.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Learning
      disabilities
      common
      among
     
     
      Canadians,
      but
      few
      are
      diagnosed
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Living
      with
      a
      learning
      disability
      can
     
     
      be
      a
      frustrating
      experience,
      and
      many
     
     
      people
      aren’t
      aware
      they
      have
      one,
      says
     
     
      the
      Adaptive
      Technology
      Assistant
      at
     
     
      Student
      Accesibility
      Services.
     
    

    
     
      Erin
      MacGregor
      said
      students
      with
     
     
      learning
      disabilities
      face
      many
      hurdles
     
     
      and
      her
      department
      is
      there
      to
      help.
     
     
      About
      10
      per
      cent
      of
      all
      Canadians
     
     
      have
      a
      learning
      disability,
      but
      it
      can
     
     
      take
      years
      to
      be
      diagnosed
      by
      a
     
     
      pschologist.
     
    

    
     
      MacGtegor
      also
      said
      most
      people
      with
     
     
      a
      learning
      disability
      don’t
      know
      it.
     
     
      That’s
      why
      October
      is
      Learning
     
     
      Disablilites
      Awareness
      Month.
      It
      gives
     
     
      organizations
      a
      chance
      to
      get
      the
      word
     
     
      out
      about
      learning
      disabilities,
      which
     
     
      is
      just
      what
      MacGregor
      is
      doing.
     
    

    
     
      The
      department
      is
      a
      bustle
      of
     
     
      activities,
      with
      students
      continuously
     
     
      coming
      and
      going.
      The
      phone
      is
     
     
      always
      ringing.
      MacGregor
      accounts
     
     
      this
      to
      the
      department
      reaching
      out
      to
     
     
      students
      across
      campus
      through
     
     
      posters
      and
      information
      sessions.
     
     
      Over
      the
      past
      year,
      the
      amount
      of
     
     
      students
      who
      visit
      the
      department
      has
     
     
      increased
      to
      over
      100.
     
    

    
     
      For
      the
      month
      of
      October,
      MacGregor
     
     
      and
      her
      colleagues
      are
      putting
      on
      a
     
     
      number
      of
      information
      sessions
      for
     
     
      education
      students,
      nursing
      students,
     
     
      as
      well
      as
      first
      years.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Learning
      Disabilities
      Association
     
     
      of
      PEI
      is
      also
      planning
      Blind
      Date
     
     
      with
      a
      Star,
      where
      local
      celebrities
      are
     
     
      auctioned
      off
      to
      raise
      money
      for
     
     
      learning
      disabilities.
     
    

    
     
      MacGregor
      encourages
      anyone,
      with
     
     
      or
      without
      a
      learning
      disability,
      to
      take
     
     
      advantage
      of
      the
      department.
     
    

    
     
      It
      offers
      many
      resources,
      including
      a
     
     
      Mentoring
      program
      for
      students
      who
     
     
      want
      to
      get
      organized.
      While
     
     
      mentoring
      is
      popular,
      the
      Kurzeil
     
     
      Program
      is
      used
      most
      often.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Kurzeil
      is
      a
      reading
     
     
      program
      in
      which
     
     
      documents
      are
      scanned
     
     
      and
      a
      computer
      generated
     
     
      voice
      reads
      them
      to
     
     
      students.
     
    

    
     
      MacGregor
      wants
      to
      stress
     
     
      the
      difference
      between
      the
     
     
      Student
      Accessibility
     
     
      Service
      department
      and
     
     
      the
      A.C.E.
      program,
     
     
      which
      deals
      with
     
     
      intellectual
      disabilities.
     
     
      Learning
      disabilities
      can
     
     
      affect
      anyone,
     
     
      people
      with
      average
      or
     
     
      above-average
     
     
      intelligence.
      They
      stem
     
     
      from
     
    
   
   
    
     
      even
     
    
   
   
    
     
      learning
     
    
   
   
    
     
      comprension
      difficulties,
     
     
      including
      problems
     
     
      retaining
      information
      in
     
     
      class
      or
      while
      reading.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Stacey
      Murray
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sarah
      Love
      works
      with
      a
      reading
      program
      at
      Student
      Accesibility
      Services.
      She
      was
      diagnosed
     
     
      with
      several
      learning
      disabilities
      in
      2000,
      including
      dyslexia.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sarah
      Love,
      who
      is
      in
      her
      final
      year
      at
     
     
      UPEI,
      has
      a
      number
      of
      learning
     
     
      disabilities,
      including
      dyslexia,
      as
      well
     
     
      as
      reading,
      writing,
      and
      math
     
     
      problems.
      These
      all
      link
      with
      a
      general
     
     
      learning
      comprehension
      problem.
     
     
      Love
      said
      school
      was
      always
     
     
      frustrating,
      but
      when
      she
      came
      to
     
     
      UPEI,
      ii
      was
      struggle
      to
      grasp
      the
     
     
      information
      she
      was
      learning.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “Tt’s
      like
      you’re
      thrown
      a
      whole
      lot
      of
     
     
      information
      and
      you
      just
      try
      to
      grab
     
     
      on
      to
      what
      you
      think
      you
      might
     
     
      understand,
      and
      then
      you
      do
      your
      best
     
     
      to
      simplify
      it.”
     
    

    
     
      Love,
      who
      began
      a
      psychology
      major
     
     
      in
      1997,
      was
      diagnosed
      in
      2000
      after
     
     
      meeting
      with
      Joanne
      McCabe,
      who
     
     
      coordinates
      the
      department.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      After
      struggling
      for
      another
      year,
      Love
     
    
   
   
    
     
      took
      a
      break
      from
      school,
      but
      returned
     
    

    
     
      in
      2004
      to
      complete
      a
      sociology
     
    

    
     
      degree.
     
    

    
     
      She
      says
      the
      student
      accessibility
     
    

    
     
      services
      really
      helped
      her
      through
     
    

    
     
      university.
     
    

    
     
      “Tf
      it
      wasn’t
      for
      this
      department,
      I
     
     
      would
      not
      have
      come
      back
      to
     
     
      school.”
     
    

    
     
      Love
      now
      works
      in
      the
      department
      as
     
    

    
     
      a
      student
      assistant.
      She
      said
      working
     
    

    
     
      there
      has
      helped
      her
      even
      more
     
    
   
   
    
     
      because
      she
      is
      learning
      new
      ways
      to
     
     
      help
      others.
     
    

    
     
      Love
      will
      graduate
      in
      December
      with
     
     
      a
      degree
      in
      Sociology,
      and
      a
      sense
      of
     
     
      independence
      because
      of
      the
     
     
      department.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      disability
      itself
      doesn’t
      go
      away,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      but
      the
      difficulties
      go
      away.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Student
      Accesibilty
      Services
      is
      located
      in
      the
     
     
      Robertson
      Library,
      room
      214.
      Anryonewho
     
     
      Joanne
      McCabe,
      the
      coordinator.
      Also,
      check
     
    
   
   
    
     
      out
      www.upel.ca/disabilities
      for
      further