Teaching Older Adults With Disabilities
Older adults with learning disabilities like dyslexia can find peace and happiness later in life with the right education. “I have overcome my difficulties because of the tutors’ encouragement and reassurance,” writes one 65-year-old Senior Learner of the Year at the UK’s National Research and Development Center for Adult Literacy. Another 60-year-old Senior Learner of the Year says he finally decided to learn to read and write to foster greater independence. “I have enjoyed meeting new people. My learning has made me much more confident,” he says. With support, encouragement and an understanding of how to teach adults, instructors have the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of these seniors.
Teaching adults can be challenging at times. Naturally, as we age, we experience changes in vision. We may no longer be able to focus on close objects, deal with the glare of a computer screen for long periods of time, read smaller 18-point font size, see colors as they actually are or see around physical barriers like tables. To teach adults, instructors should take all of these factors into consideration to reduce stress on their pupils. Hearing impairment is another challenge for adults of an older age. Some may learn to do some lip reading, but it’s always best if a loud voice can be used or have a clear microphone installed. Teachers should ensure a quiet setting with limited background noise, have all cell phones turned off and be careful not to distort their faces while speaking.
Additionally, up to 80% of the older adults in basic education programs have an adult learning disability, which hosts a new set of challenges. These adults may have writing, math and reading difficulties, poor handwriting, difficulty remembering things or adhering to a schedule, confusion about direction and limited social skills. To intervene with these adults, it’s advised that instructors work on basic skills remediation, subject-area tutoring, learning styles specifically designed for adult education, vocational exploration and survival skills training.
Teaching older adults should be an enjoyable process from start to finish. Seniors have a lot of rich experiences, interesting stories and knowledge to contribute to a class, which should make it a learning process for the instructor too. The tricky part can be balancing a deep respect for the seniors’ existing skills and knowledge base, while also introducing new topics developed for their pace and with different adult learning styles in mind. Students with adult learning disabilities may require extra motivation, positive reinforcement and patience, but they are often excited to learn new things.
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Tags: adult learning disabilities, adult learning disability, adult learning styles, children adults, working adults