[NLA] Discussion: Adult Learners with Trauma

Mon Jan 20 18:56:14 EST 2003

Debbie,
A comment about your reaction regarding Janet's post:
It was "a revelation" to >me< also to read on >ERIC< in a document the statement (page 4 under the sub-head "Policy and Advocacy" by Horseman 2000b) that "institutional policies and funding structures can make it less possible for educational programs to be sensitive to the needs of learners affected by trauma."  It went on to detail that there are examples "out there" somewhere in which "time-limited literacy" "assessment practices" and "attendance policies" >>prohibit<< sensitivity to traumatized adults' with needs, if I'm reading this document correctly.  

So my question is, why do we not have policies >against< such limitations established by literacy program administrations and >block< such limitations against traumatized learners from happening?  Is it all because of >funding< regs and who is setting those policies?
Yes, I >also< would also like to hear from Art LaChance because he and I have had off-line discussions regarding the impact of trauma on the capability of adults to learn to read.  He has made many great points about traumatized learners.
How could this be happening in our 'industry'?  Has any adult learner challenged such regulations/policies?  I would imagine by now you know my feelings about the "assessment practices" of timed testing - does this >also< become an issue with traumatized learners?  We ought to be advocating for the rights of our learners to ready access.  It's hard >enough< to do outreach to this at-risk population!  I consider this one a very serious barrier which should >not< exist anywhere, anytime, anyhow.  Unwritten and unpublished rules???  That also would not be acceptable in the program I administer.
Thank you David for bringing this "to the table" for discussion.  Does anyone else have examples of actual policy or legal challenges?  Or are the examples only historic data from 2000?
Nancy Hansen
Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
sfallsliteracy at yahoo.com

 Debbie Yoho <dwyoho at earthlink.net> wrote:From Janet: "It seems 
more reasonable to think about policy that allows adults to seek time 
away for personal, health-related reasons; to have access to choices 
about how to address their issues without losing a spot in a learning 
program."

It is a revelation to me that adults can "lose their spot" in a learning
program. Does this mean some programs have policies that kick adults out
due to absences? If so, maybe it is the absence of a policy that is
necessary! I can't imagine running an adult ed program without open
enrollment. What's going on?

Deborah W. Yoho
Co-moderator, NIFL-Health Listserv
President, SC Adult Literacy Educators
Executive Director, Greater Columbia Literacy Council
2728 Devine Street, Columbia, SC 29205
803-765-2555 Fax 803-779-8417 dwyoho at earthlink.net

> [Original Message]
> From: Janet Isserlis 
> To: 
> Date: 1/20/2003 9:33:30 AM
> Subject: Re: [NLA] Discussion: Policy or Legal Challenges on behalf
ofAdult Learners with Trauma
>
> David, Nancy and all,
>
> First - thanks, the pushing us to consider the policy implications of 
> the questions of working with adult learners who have experienced (or 
> are experiencing) trauma of one sort of another.
>
> These learners (and colleagues) are not only those participating in 
> basic level classes -- there are men and women who have experienced 
> political, personal trauma in their countries of origin, in the 
> immigration process, in daily fear of abusers -- some of these men 
> and women are participants in adult education classes and programs.
>
> It's important to stress that knowing *who* has experienced trauma is 
> not the issue so much as creating learning environments that are safe 
> for all involved. This does not mean finding out who may be in need 
> of counselling, but making known that counselling services are 
> available in the community -- or at the learning site, when this is 
> the case. Making known the availability of resources by leaving 
> brochures in common spaces, hanging posters that give information 
> about community resources (victims of crime hot line numbers, as well 
> as posters giving information about general health care, shelters for 
> women escaping domestic violence, etc) is part of helping adults see 
> the range of possibilities available to them.
>
> The policy issue is one that I think requires much thought. I'm 
> aware of at least two programs in Providence that have re-thought 
> their policies about attendance requirements. While not publicizing 
> their decisions broadly, they have made it known to their teachers 
> that if students have concerns (e.g. one woman afraid to leave a 
> child in the house when a potentially abusive relative was visiting) 
> , that teachers can tell students that if they have pressing family 
> matters, they can speak to their teachers about a need for an 
> extended absence without fear of losing their place in the program. 
> To "formalize" a program to allow women or men to ask for time out 
> because of trauma, per se creates other potential problems. It seems 
> more reasonable to think about policy that allows adults to seek time 
> away for personal, health-related reasons; to have access to choices 
> about how to address their issues without losing a spot in a learning 
> program. Some learners are able to stay in school; others need time 
> to stop out for a while.
>
> Other policy areas -- particularly WIA work requirements -- are 
> similarly tricky. Many adults receiving government benefits do have 
> case workers -- sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. There are 
> domestic violence waivers (so that an errant parent cannot trace 
> his/her spouse or partner) vis a vis child maintenance payments; 
> domestic violence, however, is not the only issue on the table.
>
> More germane to our work, I think , is finding ways to broadly frame 
> policy to accommodate both the needs and strengths of adults for whom 
> trauma is an issue -- by extending attendance policies, by helping 
> teachers know more about a broader range of teaching and learning 
> strategies, by learning, more, ourselves, about how people learn and 
> teach while dealing with issues of trauma in their lives. Some 
> people view school as a respite from other ongoing issues they face; 
> for others, it's necessary to take some time away. Each person deals 
> with stressors and trauma in her/his own way.
>
> Have a look at the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture's work 
> http://www.icomm.ca/ccvt/; consider that a program in Providence (and 
> other programs as well) have sought and received funding for the 
> services of a counsellor on site; please browse through some of the 
> resources at http://www.brown.edu/lrri/screen.html.
>
> I know many of us are working on this issue and I'm hopeful that in 
> raising a question of policy we may be able to move further (despite 
> the harsh economic outlook before us) to ensure that programs provide 
> access to learning for all who wish to seek it.
>
> Janet Isserlis
>
> >Nancy Hansen wrote me to raise a public policy question about 
> >support for learners who have been traumatized. I wonder if anyone 
> >is aware of proposed or actual policy, or legal challenges, in the 
> >U.S. or elsewhere which address this issue.
> 
>
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