Tips for Students with Learning Disabilities In an Online Class
Learn how to take charge of your own leaning. The real world does not modify your job or your life. Tip #1 You can change the brightness and contrast of your computer screen. This can help with eye strain. It may also help improve your reading comprehension. Many dyslexic students read better when the contrast between the words and background isn’t too great. Tip #2 Download all course documents to your own computer. Then change the format: a. Change the background color from white to light green, light blue or another color of your choice. This will cut down on the contrast between the text and background. b. Change the font size and type to whatever suits you. Just because your instructor used the default Times New Roman size 12, doesn’t mean you have to do the same. Experiment until you find a font that is easy for you to read. c. If you make the font larger you may have to use to the horizontal scroll bar to read. This is NOT a good situation. Go to File, Page Setup, and change the margins so the text is in a narrow column. Tip #3 Ask your instructor for an audio copy of the textbook. If you have to purchase your own book, contact the publisher and buy an audio copy. If your textbook has not been recorded, see if your campus can get volunteers to record your reading assignments. These recordings can be used by other students as well.
These tips were written by Diane Sekul for a presentation at the Texas Distance Learning Association Annual Conference, March 2008, Galveston, Texas. These tips are not copyrighted. Contact me at mrssekul@yahoo.com if you have any other ideas that can help students with learning disabilities.