According to the US Department of Education, 2.8 million children in US public schools (or 5 percent of the public school population) have learning disabilities and receive special education.

Per the National Dropout Prevention Center 38.7 percent of students with a learning disability age 14 and older dropped out of high school in 2000-2001.

The National Longitudinal Transition Study states that only 14 percent of students with learning disabilities (compared to 53 percent of students in the general population) have attended a postsecondary school program within two years of leaving high school.

A 2002 study by Ohio Board of Regents showed that people with a college degree on average earn 80 percent more in their lifetime than those with only a high school diploma.  

 

What is a learning disability?
Per the National Center for Learning Disabilities’ (NCLD) Web site: “A learning disability (LD) is a neurological disorder that affects the brain's ability to receive, process, store and respond to information. The term learning disability is used to describe the seeming unexplained difficulty a person of at least average intelligence has in acquiring basic academic skills. These skills are essential for success at school and work, and for coping with life in general. LD is not a single disorder. It is a term that refers to a group of disorders.”

 

For more information on learning disabilities:

 

National Center for Learning Disabilities: www.ncld.org

Learning Disabilities Association of America: www.ldanatl.org

LDA Colorado: http://www.ldacolorado.com/
Learning Disability Online: www.ldonline.org
Getting Ready for College – A Guide for Students with Learning Disabilities: www.kidsource.com/Heath/gr.html

You'll never guess who has a learning disability - plenty of famous and successful people: http://www.schwablearning.org/articles.aspx?r=258