A young LDS learner interacts with a socially assistive robot that provides the appropriate emotional, cognitive, and social cues to encourage development and learning.
Research-based charity LDS inspires confidence in learners of all ages
At least 1 in 10 Canadians currently lives with a learning difference.
Aiming to boost confidence and improve learning and life outcomes is research-based charity Learn. Develop. Succeed., which has a Learning Centre in Lynn Valley and East Vancouver.
“We still have a huge gap between what we are able to provide in the regular education system and what the vast majority of those with learning differences need to survive in that system,” explains LDS Executive Director Rachel Forbes.
This is where LDS comes in to lend a hand—and not just for school-aged children.
In fact, LDS provides specialized academic and social-emotional support and programs for learners aged 3 to 103 with diagnosed or suspected learning differences, such as ADHD and dyslexia.
“And you don’t need a diagnosis to come to us,” says Forbes. “You just need a suspicion that you have a learning difference, and we can take it from there.”
Delivered by highly-qualified, passionate instructors, LDS’s tutoring and instruction programs follow their unique Research-informed Individualized Student Education methodology, with an emphasis on providing customized programming for each individual learner.
The non-profit’s mission is to empower individuals with learning differences to recognize their unique strengths and develop the tools for lifelong confidence and success.
That confidence can be found in this testimonial from an LDS adult learner: “Having a chance to sit down and go over my learning style opened up so much in me today and I had no idea how much I was guarding around this.”
In another success story, LDS staff started working with a woman in her 30s who had been told her entire life that she would never read.
“She had never read at all, not one word,” says Forbes. “About four or five months after we started to work with her, she was reading short sentences, and her life has already changed demonstrably.”
Many loved ones have witnessed the difference LDS makes, including this parent: “Words can’t express how extremely happy and thrilled I am with the improvements I’ve seen in my son with every aspect of his life [since starting at LDS]. He tells me what he is learning in day-to-day school now and is more engaged in extracurricular activities.”
Along with individualized support, LDS offers a variety of programs including storytelling and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) camps.
Forty-three percent of those with learning differences live at or below the poverty line. This is why LDS ensures all of its programs and services are accessible and inclusive, including by providing a sliding scale for families and learners in need.
LDS offers free resources, workshops, and consultations for educators and professionals who would like to enhance their understanding of how to best serve and support diverse learners.
Want to make your workplace more inclusive? Check out the LDS Walk A Mile in My Shoes workshop, which equips individuals and organizations with the knowledge and information necessary to support and advocate for individuals with learning differences.
“The number one thing that unifies everybody involved at LDS—on our team, on our board, and in our community—is building confidence in our learners and our families,” says Forbes.
To learn more about LDS, visit the FAQ page, call 604-873-8139, or email info@ldsociety.ca.
