University students with learning disabilities advocating for change

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Work
• Education

Background:

• Western psychology traditionally views learning disabilities (LD) as deficits requiring rehabilitation.
• Increased advocacy and legislation have led to more resources for students with LD in higher education.
• This paper explores an alternative approach focusing on empowerment for students with LD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an empowerment-based intervention for university students with learning disabilities.
• To present a case study of a project at Hebrew University involving social work students with LD.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of an empowerment model as an alternative to traditional rehabilitation.

Main Methods:

• A 6-year qualitative case study investigation was conducted.
• Data collection included questionnaires, focus groups, activity documentation, and in-depth interviews.
• Outcome measures assessed project success in relation to student well-being and academic performance.

Main Results:

• The project progressed through stages of awareness, partnership building, and rights advocacy.
• Outcome measures showed reduced dropout rates and improved academic achievement for students with LD.
• Students reported positive shifts in perception, reduced stress, and increased self-esteem.

Conclusions:

• Empowerment practices centered on partnership, participation, and advocacy offer an alternative to individual therapy for students with LD.
• This approach reframes learning disabilities from a deficit model to one of social change and inclusion.
• The findings support a paradigm shift in supporting students with learning disabilities in higher education.