Common Problems and Easy Solutions in the Workplace for People with LD - Page 2

Job Problem: You have difficulty doing more than one task while managing interruptions from co-workers.

Possible accommodations:

• Put up a “Do not disturb” sign when you really need to work without interruption.
• Write down what you were doing, when interruptions occur, so that you can resume your work seamlessly.
• Do one task at a time. Do not start a new one until the current one is complete.
• Initiate telephone calls rather than waiting for people to call you back.
• Ask your supervisor to clarify priorities.
• Work on major projects early, late, or on weekends when the office is quiet.

Job Problem: You have difficulty with handwriting and generating written text.

Possible accommodations:

• Use typewriters and computers
• Use a voice-activated computer. (You talk and it types.)
• Ask an assistant to write if for you.
• Teach others to read your writing.
• Talk instead of write.
• Use voice mail systems that allow you to send a message to a group instead of writing memos.
• Use a laptop computer to take notes.

Job Problem: Your spelling and grammar are poor.

Possible accommodations:

• Use spell check and grammar check computer software.
• Use software that predicts the word you are going to write based on the first few letters you type.
• Use a computer that says what you wrote on the screen. Hearing your words may highlight mistakes.
• Ask a colleague to proof your work before you consider it complete.
• Proof only those documents that must be proofed. Do not be a perfectionist.

Job Problem: When you copy or calculate figures, you tend to reverse or confuse number sequences.

Possible accommodations:

• Say aloud each number as you write or type it to ensure that it is correct.
• Do calculations twice, checking to see if the answers are the same.
• Use a talking calculator.

Job Problem: You have no inner sense of direction. (You have been known to get lost in your own building.)

Possible accommodations:

• Use maps and keep copies handy, both at home and at work.
• Have directions written, highlighting significant changes in direction.
• Ask people to accompany you to unfamiliar places.
• Practice going from one place to another using maps and noting landmarks.
• Hang pictures or other items on walls in ways that make the left and right side different from each other.

Job Problem: You are easily distracted and you work in an open space.

Possible accommodations:

• Ask to move your work area to a more enclosed space.
• Arrange to work at home.
• Request to work in a location that is away from noise and busy office traffic.
• Identify file rooms, private offices, storage rooms, and other enclosed spaces that might be uses as alternative work spaces.
• Use a white noise machine (creates background noise that covers up the other sounds).

Job Problem: You have short-term memory problems. Details such as names and numbers tend to be easily forgotten.

Possible accommodations:

• Use mnemonic devices to remember sets of information. For example, HOMES is the acronym for the names of the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior.
• Create charts that allow you to quickly find the information you want.
• Think about new information and try to associate new ideas with facts that are already familiar.
• Make good use of your computer software. Sometimes, well-designed menus and help features can assist you.
• Use a miniature tape recorder or voice organizer.
• Have co-workers check with you to be sure that you understand. Repeat back while they confirm.
• Obtain information ahead of time (such as a conference participants list). This lets you review names and affiliations ahead of time.

Job Problem: You have difficulty learning a lot of information quickly in intensive training classes and conferences.

Possible accommodations:

• Ask for written materials ahead of time. If the request is refused, ask former students to loan you their materials.
• Sit in the front and/or center so you can more easily follow what is said.
• Ask former students to brief you on the training.
• Tape record for review. Get telephone numbers of co-trainees for later follow-up.

These ideas may help you think about effective accommodations. Always try to get along without the accommodation from time to time to see if you still need it.

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This article is an adaptation of one originally written for NCLD’s former magazine, Their World. Dale S. Brown is an advocate for people with learning disabilities and has written many articles and several books on the topic, including Learning a Living: A Guide to Planning Your career and Finding a Job for People with Learning Disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorder, and Dyslexia.