Disability in Adult Education

Ableism

McLean, M. A. (2011). Getting to know you: The prospect of challenging ableism through
adult learning. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, (132), 13-22.

McLeans article confronts head-on the sometimes ableist notions embedded in adult
education. She begins her article by providing her own definition of ableism, which
reads as follows: Ableism is discrimination on the grounds that being able bodied is
the normal and superior human condition. In contrast, being disabled is linked to ill
health, incapacity, and dependence (2011, p. 13). McLean advocates for a more
inclusive society which enhances contact between disabled and non-disabled people
for each groups mutual benefit, and adult education is one setting that can allow for
such contact. She also advocates for greater professional development so that
educators can better understand, and combat, ableism in their schools. In particular, I
appreciate how McLean suggests that adult education programs can become not only
centres for disability advocacy, but models and catalysts for change.

Rocco, T. S., & Delgado, A. (2011). Shifting lenses: A critical examination of disability in
adult education. New directions for adult and continuing education, 132, 3-12.

Rocco and Delgados article is important because in it the authors provide a

comprehensive overview of models of disability (disability as a social construct, the
comprehensive theory of disability of oppression, and critical disability theory) and
contextualize each within adult education. They explain that while adult educators
(generally) accept that other aspects of identity (such as gender, race, class) are socially
constructed, educators do not necessarily see disability in this way. Rocco and
Delgado explain that, in the social model of disability, [t]he environment becomes
disabling when spaces are created without regard to the needs of people with
disabilities (2011, p. 6). Thus, while the individual may have an impairment, it is society
that renders the individual disabled. This also applies as much to pedagogy/andragogy
as it does to the physical spaces in a school, and so the legitimacy of the social model
supports the importance of making content and curriculum more universally accessible.

Intellectual Disabilities, Developmental Disabilities, Physical Disabilities,

and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Bowman, S. L., & Plourde, L. A. (2012). Andragogy for teen and young adult learners with
intellectual disabilities: Learning, independence, and best practices. Education,
132(4), 789-798.

Bowman and Plourdes article focuses on teens and young adults with intellectual
disabilities, and these younger adults who are between 16 and 21 represent a rapidly
growing percentage of adult learners in Quebec. The authors cite recent definitions of
intellectual disability, and provide some background in terms of diagnosis and its
implications. The crux of their article rests on the reality that education for young
adults/teens with intellectual disabilities is different in many ways than it is for children
 (i.e. andragogy vs. pedagogy), and this distinction is something that must be reflected
more thoroughly in programs for this particular population. Bowman and Plourde
discuss assessment models, skills to target, inclusive education, self-determination,
employment programs/opportunities, and community resources. The article culminates
in a best practices guide for teaching the learners in question.

Gorman, Rachel (2000). "Research That Hurts Or Research That Helps? A Critical
Framework for Adult Education Inquiry and People With Intellectual Disabilities,"
Adult Education Research Conference.
http://newprairiepress.org/aerc/2000/papers/26

Gorman insists that adult educators (and other professionals in the field, including
psychologists and social workers) must step back from the practical implications or
documented outcomes of including and supporting persons with disabilities and turn to
reconsider the implications / intersections of disability and educational theory and
practice. The stakes are high, as Gorman offers that adjusting theory in this context is a
matter of human rights and emancipation, and such an adjustment will go a long way
toward preventing abusive and oppressive practices. Gorman echoes Tisdells (see
Inclusive Adult Education Bibliography) insistence that adult educators must
interrogate the organizational structures and power relations/dynamics within which
they operate, and also constantly questioning the purpose of the educational program a
practitioner delivers and also the purpose of the research the scholar undertakes.

Nash, H. M. and Thrasher-Livingston, K. (2008). Success, disabilities, and adult

education: A historical journey. Proceedings of the Adult Education Research
Conference. Manhattan, KS: New Prairie Press. Retrieved from
http://newprairiepress.org/aerc/2008/papers/51

The Proceedings of the Adult Education Research Conference is a vital resource for
accessing vast library of presentations on adult education, many of which address
issues of inclusion and accessibility for adults learners. Nash and Thrasher-Livingstons
conference presentation provides an historical overview of oppressive practices,
attitudes, and structures which negatively impact adult learners with disabilities within
the context of adult education, but also more broadly across society. The document
contains a brief, but comprehensive literature review of research on disability in adult
education, and also provides definitions of disability, but is particularly notable for the
frankness with which the authors present their arguments; truly, the document
represents an urgent call to action for systemic change.

Rogers-Shaw, C. (2017). Quiet noise: Adult educations silence on disabilities.

Proceedings of the Adult Education Research Conference. Manhattan, KS: New
Prairie Press. Retrieved from http://newprairiepress.org/aerc/2017/papers/20/

Rogers-Shaws conference paper suggests that gaps in recent research at the

intersection of adult education and disabilities are a matter of social justice, and
attaches a strong sense of urgency to addressing these gaps. Rogers-Shaws work is
unique in that it argues that adult educations treatment of disability can instead be
viewed in terms of commonality with issues of race, gender, class, and other
 marginalizing factors (p. 3). This observation rings true in both theory and practice --
so much research is devoted to either cultural, racial, gender, and economic diversity,
while disability and neurodiversity are researched as something entirely different from
the aforementioned forms of diversity, and the same can be said of many discussions
of inclusive practices. Rogers-Shaws presentation draws on the work of Rocco (2011),
who identified a near absence of research on disability in adult education over 30 years.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. G eneral comment
No. 4 (2016) on the right to inclusive education. Retrieved from:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CRPD/Pages/GC.aspx

I have drawn elsewhere on a small section from this document in order to demonstrate
a global push for UDL, but the larger document is a testament to the reality that access
to appropriate, basic education is a right for all adult learners, including those with
disabilities, regardless of the nature or extent of the disability. The document also
serves as an important reminder that access to education is a fundamental human right,
and this right extends to the context of adult learning, whether in formal or informal
teaching contexts.

Learning Disabilities

Smythe, S. & Courage, D. (2007). Toward a whole life perspective on learning

disabilities in adult literacy settings: A conceptual framework to guide
professional development. Research in Vancouver, BC: Practice in Adult Literacy.

Smythe and Courages framework is a 35-page handbook which serves as a highly

practical guide for educators who work with adults with learning disabilities. The
authors provide a comprehensive overview of a number of specific learning disabilities,
and cite relevant and recent research throughout. Their idea of a whole life
perspective is a good one, as it includes: a) Building awareness about LD in
adult literacy settings, b) Building relationships of trust through intake, screening and
the development of learning profiles c) Teaching many minds: LD friendly instructional
strategies and approaches d) Taking care of the spirit: Addressing the issues that walk
beside LD; e) Changing how the world thinks about LD through system advocacy,
self advocacy and awareness raising and f) Professional development and reflective
practice (p. 17). The section on instructional strategies/approaches is a welcome
addition to the topic of inclusive adult education, as each strategy is carefully explained
in practical terms but is always foregrounded in both research and theory. Indeed, this
resources strikes a near perfect balance between theory and practice.

Taylor, M., & Roberts, M. (2013). Adult literacy and learning disabilities: A look at the
issues facing the field. Building on critical traditions: adult education and learning
in Canada. (T. Nesbit, Ed.). Toronto: Thompson Pub.

This chapter is part of an important and comprehensive contribution to scholarship

on adult education in Canada: Building on critical traditions: adult education and
learning in Canada. Unfortunately, the chapter is the only one in the book that deals
specifically with disability, and because of the chapters focus upon learning disabilities,
 the book as a whole does not touch on other disabilities, such as intellectual disabilities
or autism spectrum disorder.

*There are many, many more articles on learning disabilities within the contexts of adult
learning and lifelong learning, but these two have been selected for their Canadian
perspectives.