Learning Disabilities Association of America

ABOUT US Learn how a group of parents and professionals started LDA and led the push for passage of the first federal legislation mandating a free, appropriate, public education for students with disabilities. Find out about our volunteer leadership, staff, and professional advisors and get a taste of LDA’s positions on issues that are important to individuals with learning disabilities. VISION LDA visualizes a world in which learning disabilities are universally understood, so all individuals are accepted, supported and empowered to live a self-determined life. MISSION LDA’s mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy. LDA accomplishes its goals and objectives through its: Services An array of specialized services designed to support and promote the success of individuals with learning disabilities across all aspects of life. Board of Directors The Board of Directors and national committees are composed of individuals with learning disabilities, their parents and concerned professionals. Staff The organization maintains a staff in its National Office located in Pittsburgh, PA and a Governmental Affairs Office located in Washington, D.C. Professional Advisory Board The Professional Advisory Board offers counsel in professional and technical areas and is comprised of leading experts in the field of learning disabilities. Partnerships LDA engages in an array of ongoing collaborative activities that support the organization’s work on behalf of individuals with learning disabilities. Position Papers The organization’s Position Papers establish clear positions on critical issues of the day. Learning Disabilities Foundation of America A tax-exempt public charity established in 1979 that is dedicated to providing funds for research and education and the promotion of public awareness of both children and adults with learning disabilities. CORE PRINCIPLES LDA's Core Principles were developed and approved by the Board of Directors of the Learning Disabilities Association to establish a set of standards and guidelines reflecting the positions and philosophies of our organization. They are based on the purpose of LDA to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities through support, education and advocacy. The topics are those determined by the Board of Directors to address the current issues most relevant to achieve LDA's goals. The Core Principles are to guide LDA’s officers, board members, staff, and volunteers at the national, state and local level when engaged in discussions about learning disabilities. Core Principles: What are Learning Disabilities? Learning Disabilities refer to a number of disorders which may affect the acquisition, organization, retention, understanding or use of verbal or nonverbal information. These disorders affect learning in individuals who otherwise demonstrate at least average abilities essential for thinking and/or reasoning. As such, learning disabilities are distinct from global intellectual deficiency. Learning disabilities result from impairments in one or more processes related to perceiving, thinking, remembering or learning. These include but are not limited to: language processing; phonological processing; visual spatial processing; processing speed; memory and attention; and executive functions (e.g., planning and decision-making) HISTORY Defining a Need On April 6, 1963, a resourceful group of parents convened a conference in Chicago entitled “Exploration into the Problems of the Perceptually Handicapped Child.” Professionals from various disciplines and with diverse and extensive clinical experience in dealing with the needs of these children participated. Professionals and parents shared a common concern: the recognition of the dire need for services for their children, services that did not exist. The 1963 conference articulated the cornerstones on which the field of Learning Disabilities is based. The underlying assumptions put forth provided the frameworks for legislation, theories, diagnostic procedures, educational practices, research and training models. A consensus was reached on a name for the category, reflecting both the heterogeneity and homogeneity of the characteristics observed in the children, while differentiating them from others within existing categories. The term “Learning Disabilities” embedded within the title of Dr. Samuel Kirk’s conference paper, was selected. A national movement was underway! A National Organization is Born During the months that followed, many preliminary details towards formation of a national organization were worked out. With a core of volunteers agreeing to become its nucleus, the Association for Children with Learning Disabilities (ACLD) was created and incorporated in January, 1964. The organization was conceived as a group driven by parents and adults with learning disabilities, and the bylaws and structure of the organization — now known as the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) — clearly reflect the consumer driven position and philosophy. The local groups of 1963 now had their umbrella, and soon LDA chapters were active at both state and local levels. Visibility and success at the national level were soon to follow. Federal Legislation Legislation was passed that specifically included individuals with learning disabilities, chief among them The Children with Specific Learning Disabilities Act of 1969. Finally! We had a working definition of learning disabilities within the Federal law. Within this definition a medical cause was presumed, though the focus was on the mandate for remedial education designed to address the unique needs of children with learning disabilities. Other landmark pieces of legislation were to follow: the Elementary and Secondary Amendments of 1969; the Vocational Rehabilitation Act 1973; the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1974; the Juvenile Justice and Prevention of Delinquency Act; and the Americans with Disabilities Act. National Headquarters The LDA national office was established in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1973, initially housed in donated space in a basement. That same year the organization’s first Executive Director, Jean Petersen, was hired, and remained in that position until her retirement in 1998! Our activities in Washington have been ongoing, coordinated through the persistent efforts of the many volunteers of LDA. Thanks to the efforts of LDA’s grass roots volunteers, the recognition of learning disabilities as a handicapping condition provided the means for agencies to acquire funding for research, service delivery programs, and professional preparation. LDA Today The LDA headquarters continue to be located in Pittsburgh, where a staff supports the nationwide work of hundreds of key volunteer leaders, an annual conference that draws upwards of 3000 participants annually, and answer hundreds of queries from individuals, families and professionals every day.