Abstract
Keeping up with the intense reading load of graduate school can be hard. But what if
you have a learning disability like dyslexia that compromises your ability to read quickly
and absorb content via the printed word? Learn about the personal experiences and
study strategies of one UW-Madison graduate student who has developed a
multifaceted, technological approach to keep up with her studies. Risch is enrolled in a
joint degree program between the Law School and School of Education and attributes
her success to a wise use of technology. This article was previously published in Teaching
With Technology Today (TTT), Jennifer Smith, editor (1999-2001), vol 5, no 7, and is
included in this publication with TTTs permission. The TTT Web site is at:
http://www.uwsa.edu/ttt/

Introduction
Keeping up with the intense reading load of graduate school can be hard. But what if
you have a learning disability that affects your ability to read quickly and understand
content via the printed word, a disability that can even make letters appear transposed?
This condition, dyslexia, can make an already-tough course of study seem insurmountable.
And it is hardly uncommon - according to recent statistics from the National Institutes
of Health, 15-20% of the U.S. population has some form of learning disability, and
dyslexia is one of the more frequently-occurring disabilities. On the UW-Madison
campus, the McBurney Disability Resource Center works with about 350 students
with learning disabilities yearly.

Judy's Story
For Judy Risch, 23, technology has been a boon to her success as a graduate student
in a dual program at UW-Madison. Risch is enrolled in a joint School of Education/Law
School program in which she will earn both the PhD and JD degrees. Hailing from
New Jersey, Risch began her studies at Madison in Fall 1998, after completing a
teaching degree in special education at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. From an
early age, it was apparent to Risch's parents that her auditory learning skills surpassed
her reading ability. They frequently read to her, and, at the age of seven, took her for
private testing that identified her dyslexia. Although she did not receive many educational
accommodations during her grade school and high school years, outside of school, Risch
and her family took advantage of materials available through Reading for the Blind and
Dyslexic (RFBD), which she describes as "a wonderful service."

During college and graduate school, Risch developed a technology-assisted routine to
make her schoolwork more manageable. A key piece of her strategy is software called
Kurzweil 3000, offered by the firm Lernout & Hauspie. Useful to students at a wide
variety of levels, Kurzweil 3000 is PC-based reading software that reads aloud text
brought into it, whether from a scanned document, a word-processing document, or
other source. The user can manipulate the reading speed, the software's "voice," and
can even set the software to highlight the word, sentence, or paragraph that is being
read.

For Risch, the most time-consuming aspect of her study regimen is the initial scanning
of her textbooks at the beginning of the semester. However, once the texts are stored
on her computer, she's ready to go. Using Kurzweil to read aloud her texts while she
follows along on the screen allows Risch to get all of her reading done in a timely manner.
Although at approximately $2,000, the version of Kurweil used by Risch is a substantial
purchase, she feels strongly that it is a worthwhile investment in her graduate school
career.

Other software also plays a role in Risch's learning strategy. A CrossPad (from the
Cross Pen Computing Group) allows her to easily load course notes onto her computer,
which she can later work with in Microsoft Word or Kurzweil. The CrossPad is a
notepad-like device that lets her take notes on regular paper and then converts those
notes into a digital format. Spellcheck features on word processing software come in
handy, and she can transfer her course papers from Word to Kurzweil 3000, letting
the software read them back to her so she can check the flow of her papers and edit
them. A flatbed scanner at home makes it convenient for her to get her textbooks into
a Kurweil-usable form. She may eventually buy a hand scanner to gain even more
flexibility.

Future Plans
After completing her UW degrees, Risch plans to go into educational law with a focus
on advocacy for students with disabilities. She will be able to use her first-hand
knowledge of being a student with a learning disability and commented that it was
unfortunate that some children need to fail a course before educators and others
recognize a learning disability. In the meantime, Risch will continue to use her range
of technological accommodations to manage the heavy workload of graduate school
and maintain her academic success.

Selected Resources on Learning Disabilities:

Heath Resource Center: A division of the American Council on Education that
serves as a national clearinghouse on postsecondary education for people with
disabilities: http://www.heath-resource-center.org

Association on Higher Education and Disability: http://www.ahead.org

National Center for Learning Disabilities: http://www.ncld.org

LDOnLine: This site describes itself as "the interactive guide to learning disabilities
for parents, teachers, and children" and contains more information on young children
with learning disabilities than the other sites listed here: http://www.ldonline.org