What issues face adults with LD in the 1990slProposed solutions are delineated in educational, vocational, and social service areas.

Five common misconceptions are discussed relative to the disabled learner and higher education.

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This paper reports the results of a study comparing college freshmen with learning disabilities (LD) and freshmen with no learning disabilities (NLD). Four data collections over one academic year were completed on a total of 72 students (LDn=39; NLDn=33). Results of the study indicated differences between groups in their initial choice of living accommodations and in the changes made over the year: the overall trend was for students with LD to become more dependent on their families, while students with NLD were becoming less dependent on their families. With regard to academics, students with LD reported spending significantly less time in study and course preparation, as well as greater pessimism about success in coursework. Despite their pessimism, the actual GPA attainment of students with LD was similar to that of NLD peers. Whereas both groups initially predicted it would be easy to adjust to the academic and social nature of college, students with learning disabilities ultimately reported being dissatisfied with the social climate on campus. No differences were found between LD and NLD students regarding their motivation for attending college, or their plans for final degree attainment.

For many years now, issues concerning adults with dyslexia have generated heated debate and the questions addressed in this volume are no exception. Chapter 11, by Keim, Ryan, and Nolan emphasizes the need to formulate a consistent policy regarding students with LD that can be shared by the diverse set of professionals who support them on a college campus. The results of their survey of support professionals trained in education and counseling do reveal differences in opinion, but it is reassuring that there is more overlap than disagreement. These results suggest a growing awareness of learning disabilities on college campuses.Although professionals may be more aware of the need to support and provide allowances for college students with learning disabilities, there remain many controversies to be settled. In particular, Wertheim, Vogel, and Brulle (chapter 12) consider the complex legal, ethical, and educational issues surrounding college students with dyslexia who wish to become teachers. Although their potential students will benefit from the empathy and concern of teachers who themselves struggled with academic subjects, youngsters also need excellent informed instruction. Given the need for teachers to have explicit knowledge of language structure, and recent evidence that few new teachers possess that knowledge, it is widely believed we should be imposing higher professional standards. Should we be encouraging students who struggle with reading to become teachers of reading? How do we balance the rights of would-be teachers with the needs of their future students? And most importantly, how can we best prepare future teachers (with and without LD) for the challenging job they seek to undertake?Equating "adults" with high school and college students can be misleading. As long as persons with dyslexia are in school, their difficulties with reading and testing loom large. 271 272 ADULTS WITH DYSLEXIA However, as documented in the chapter by R. Fink, persons with dyslexia can and do rise above their early schooling difficulties to achieve a level of success shared by few in society. Participants in her study agreed to be identified by name to further inspire others with dyslexia for whom "success" is still only an abstract concept. Comprehensive testing conducted by Fink supports what other studies have told us before the difficulties that render a person vulnerable to reading difficulties do not just "go away", even in these :successful doctors, lawyers, educators, and scientists. One novel feature of this study is the argument that interest (or passion) in a content area motivates the young person to read voraciously and thereby obtain the necessary practice in reading now deemed so essential to reading success.As a group, these three papers on adults send an important message: the challenges of assisting talented young adults with LD forge a professional life are daunting and complex, but not insurmountable. The success stories shared by Fink not only offer useful insights regarding one important pathway to ...