Book Review: Learning outside the lines: Two Ivy League students with learning disabilities and ADHD… By David Cole & Mooney

A learning disability and college, these two words were hardly ever in the same sentence growing up. The system was failing us and it was showing. Ableist would insist that people with learning disabilities could never perform, must less make it to secondary education. The whole while, sabotaging any success we had, knowing without a degree, the future was grim. Unfortunately, these biases spread throughout the job market, military, and some government agencies.

However, the tide is changing. In 2000, a book was published that became one of the first in its genre; eleven years later, it changed my entire perspective. “Learning Outside The Lines... by, David Cole & Mooney” gives us a glimpse into special education at the turn of the millennium (Mooney & Cole, 2000). It is a shame, that I did not have the chance to feel and study its pages then. I might have struggled, but every piece of paper would have been worth the frustration. The book discusses technology, note taking, and some advocacy. I was fortunate enough to find myself drawn to technology as a means to function, even now; I am currently writing with multiple assistive tech applications. I am also fortunate enough to have this type of technology available to me.

What many people do not understand is that prior to “1975,” children with learning disabilities had nothing legally protecting them (Disability.gov, 2016). I could compare it to the Flintstone's; yes, education was in the Stone Age. Nevertheless, special education still has a lower than average graduation rate (Center for Public Education, 2009). That is why I compare “Reading Between The lines” to a unicorn. Today, the information can be found on many websites and forums, including this one. In fact, many people would say that technology has advanced beyond the point, where the book is relevant. Nonetheless, we should never forget the advice it offers. I was reminded of this, when I started university online.

You are never alone:

On August 10, 1997, we unknowingly sat across from each other at the opening night of transfer orientation at Brown University. Two kids who were supposed to be a pair of statistics, now Ivy League college students. Next thing we knew, we had paired off and stood next to each other reading off a list of "wacky facts" — an icebreaker where each student had to guess what his peer's fact was. About halfway down the list, Dave read: "I didn't learn to read until I was twelve" — Jon's not-so-funny fact. And then Jon read: "I learned to weld when I was eleven and dropped out of high school when I was sixteen" — Dave's less-than-stellar fact. (Cole & Hallowell, 2000)

I have been urging Amazon, to enable text-to-speech for this book. However, there are applications that can facilitate this, but they are from third party venders. This tells you how much things have changed, since 2000. We have come a long way and there is even more to go.

Post by The Dyslexic Nerd (1000100001)

References:

Center for Public Education. (2009, October). http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Evaluating-performance/Special-education-At-a-glance/Special-education-A-better-perspective-full-report.html. Retrieved from www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Evaluating-performance/Special-education-At-a-glance/Special-education-A-better-perspective-full-report.html

Disability.gov. (2016). individuals with disabilities education act (IDEA). Retrieved from https://www.disability.gov/individuals-disabilities-education-act-idea/

Mooney, J., & Cole, D. (2000). Learning outside the lines: Two Ivy League students with learning disabilities and ADHD give you the tools for academic success and educational revolution [Kindle]. Hallowell (Ed.). Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Outside-Lines-Students-Disabilities-ebook/dp/B0031OQ0R4/ref=mt_kindle?_encoding=UTF8&me=