Teaching Older Adults With Disabilities

Older adults with disabilities require a number of educational programs. Day programs enable caregivers the time for work, while caring for a relative with learning disabilities. College classes or job training programs provide old adults with marketable skills to help them in a changing workplace. Some seniors just enjoy the social aspects of learning and benefit greatly from being taught various adult learning styles. There are several things to keep in mind when instructing seniors, particularly those with disabilities.

Teaching adults can be challenging at times. Naturally, as we age, we experience changes in vision. We may no longer be able to focus on close objects, deal with the glare of a computer screen for long periods of time, read smaller 18-point font size, see colors as they actually are or see around physical barriers like tables. To teach adults, instructors should take all of these factors into consideration to reduce stress on their pupils. Hearing impairment is another challenge for adults of an older age. Some may learn to do some lip reading, but it's always best if a loud voice can be used or have a clear microphone installed. Teachers should ensure a quiet setting with limited background noise, have all cell phones turned off and be careful not to distort their faces while speaking.

Many older adults in basic education courses also suffer with a learning disability. For these students, it's extremely important that instructors take different adult learning styles into consideration and approach the classroom with multiple teaching modes. Some students prefer visual learning (with charts, videos, diagrams and illustrations), while others prefer auditory (with lectures, music, group discussions and tapes), while others yet prefer kinesthetic learning (with hands-on activities, field trips, role playing and experiments). It's important that instructors keep the learning disabled students motivated by sharing helpful techniques, building on the students' strengths, giving positive reinforcement and showing how short-term goals connect with long-term goals.

Teaching older adults should be an enjoyable process from start to finish. Seniors have a lot of rich experiences, interesting stories and knowledge to contribute to a class, which should make it a learning process for the instructor too. The tricky part can be balancing a deep respect for the seniors' existing skills and knowledge base, while also introducing new topics developed for their pace and with different adult learning styles in mind. Students with adult learning disabilities may require extra motivation, positive reinforcement and patience, but they are often excited to learn new things.