How Many Adults Really Have Learning Disabilities?
There is a growing body of reliable data that indicate that learning disabilities (LD) in adults are a wide-spread problem. Until recently, we have only had estimates of the incidence of adults with LD in specific segments of the population including various formal and informal educational and workplace training settings. Some estimates have been alarmingly high. For example, the United States Employment and Training Administration (1991) estimated that between 15-23% of Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) title IIA recipients may have a learning disability. Based on the Department of Labor observations, the percent of adults with LD increases to between 50-80% among those reading below the 7 th grade level (U.S. Department of Labor, 1991).
