Learning disabilities in Australian universities: hidden, ignored, and unwelcome

Although more students with learning disabilities (LD) are enrolling in Australian universities, their learning needs are not well understood. This article reports on the experiences of students with LD who are encouraged to enter the academy by Australian university policies and government legislation but, once there, find that the promise of equal opportunity is often not kept. This article provides some insights into how university lecturers' normative expectations and practices can affect students' everyday experiences. Interviews with students with LD showed that they do not often receive support services, their "stories" are not believed, and they often feel that they do not "belong".     

Learning disabilities and the new reductionism: a response to Reid and Valle

The purpose of this article is to respond to Reid and Valle's article "The Discursive Practice of LD: Implications for Instruction and Parent-School Relations" in this issue. Our response to the discursive analysis is organized around two major themes: (a) the issue of balance in the scholarship on learning disabilities (LD) and (b) the centrality of the discourse of general education to the discourse of LD. Following our response to the discursive analysis, we comment on the implications for instruction and parent-school relations drawn by Reid and Valle. Highlighted in this section is the disconnect between the macro-level findings from the discursive analysis and the micro-level orientation of their "sociopolitical vision" for instruction and parent-school relations.     

Comment on the relationship between arithmetic difficulties and language disabilities

Annals of Dyslexia -     

Learning disabilities and bullying: double jeopardy

Independently, learning disabilities (LD) and involvement in bullying each pose a risk for social, emotional, and behavioral problems. Based on the research to date and on the characteristics common to children with LD and children who are bullied, there is reason to believe that children with LD are at increased risk of victimization. However, there is little research on the relationship between LD and bullying. This article presents factors and characteristics that make children and youth with LD vulnerable to bullying. Risk factors and effects of bullying are reviewed. Implications for practice and research are discussed.     

Learning difficulties related to graphing: A hermeneutic phenomenological perspective

In this paper, we illustrate the use of auto/biographical materials as part of a research process concerned with problematic aspects of learning science. Drawing on an extended study of graphing among university students and research scientists, and on the auto/biographical of and interview data with one of the authors, we point out some of the sources of difficulties of coming to understand graphs and graphing.