Why the Writing Center is important to a Learning Disabled Student
To a learning disabled student, the Writing Center is a place where one can receive a "less standardized and more personalized approach to writing" (Vogel, 219). The Writing Center's one-on-one system of instruction can be very important to a learning disabled student since it focuses on the needs of an individual as opposed to that of an entire classroom. In addition to the traditional assistance offered at the Writing Center, a student with special needs in writing can receive special permission from the school allowing for extra help in areas which include proof-reading and grammar checking.
According to Professor Linda Hodges, Director of the Writing Center at Virginia Commonwealth University, learning disabled students are often very good "system users". Usually students who are able to make it into college have a desire to find different ways in which they can overcome their disorder. Just because a student has a learning disorder in writing it does not mean they do not like to write. Dr. Hodges mentioned a Professor of English at VCU who has a severe learning disability in Writing. Even though he writes for major journals he still seeks the help of fellow faculty members by having them assist him in proofreading his papers. Students with learning disabilities are less likely to feel comfortable rereading their own writing as opposed to students who are not disabled. Often the spelling and grammatical errors make it difficult for learning disabled students to stay focused and on track. A writing center tutor can help students look beyond grammar and spelling in order to find a way to achieve better writing.
In addition to difficulty with grammar and spelling, learning disabled students have trouble with the task of getting a paper started. Often a learning disabled student will seek the assistance of the Writing Center in order to gather ideas and putting them together on paper (Hall, 1). Writing center tutors can also assist the student in looking over the actual assignment and making sure the student fully understands what is expected of him by the professor.
The Writing Center provides the student with a different approach to writing a good paper. It enables a learning disabled student to compete on a level playing field with all other students in terms of academic writing. Throughout their lives, "many people are able to overcome their learning disability and they do so by learning strategies and alternate routes for solving problems" (Neff, 82). The writing center is one the key places on campus where a learning disabled student can find these strategies.