Perspectives of Youth with Identified Learning Disabilities

Are students in Newfoundland and Labrador who have diagnosed reading/writing related learning disabilities being effectively prepared to meet the demands of post-secondary studies at Memorial University? This work uses a phenomenological approach in an attempt to answer this question. Currently, Newfoundland and Labrador is making use of the Pathways framework to deliver services to students with exceptionalities (e.g., learning disabilities). However, there have been concerns raised about the effectiveness of the use of this framework. In this work, six Memorial University students - all diagnosed with reading/writing related learning disabilities - share their high school and Memorial University experiences. Their insight provides valuable information regarding the strengths of the Pathways framework and what is working well as well as where improvements are needed.