The forum – "Doing it Better – A Forum on Learning Disabilities in Education" - will be jointly hosted by La Trobe University, RMIT University and the Australian Learning Disability Association (ALDA) from May 14-15 at Storey Hall, RMIT University, Melbourne.
Forum organisers say the conference aims to address a groundswell of concern in the Australian community about unmet educational and learning requirements among students assessed as having learning disabilities.
It is believed to be the first such conference ever held in Australia to address this often unrecognised problem in the post-secondary education sector.
“Current statistics indicate that approximately 10 -12 per cent of students who register with Australian university disability services do have a learning disability – and that figure would be closer to 50 per cent in the US, the US and Canada,” the acting manager of La Trobe University’s Equity and Access Unit, Ms Stephanie Chard said.
Jenny Shaw, Co-ordinator of RMIT’s Disability Liaison Unit and President of ALDA, said Learning Disability (LD) was the fastest growing disability in Australian universities, up 81 per cent since 1996 - measured against a rise in the student population in the same period of only 14.5 per cent.
“It is probably the most poorly understood disability type in the education sector, and not just the post-secondary education sector,” Ms Shaw said.
La Trobe and RMIT had jointly convened the forum to address how learning disabilities affect students in the latter years of secondary school and their transition and experiences in post-secondary education.
Topics will include the human impact of learning disabilities; psycho-sometric assessments; curriculum, teaching strategies and student and staff support; access to information; and supporting technology solutions.
Thursday 10 May 2007 Universities host first national forum on post-secondary learning disabilitiesMore than 180 educators and disability practitioners will meet at a two-day Australian forum next week to tackle the challenges facing educators, parents, and students affected by learning disabilities in late secondary and early tertiary education.For further information:
La Trobe University: Stephanie Chard 9479 3456
RMIT/ALDA: Jenny Shaw 9925 1089.