I would like to thank Shirley Stone and Lorraine Kaczor, of LITERACYWORKS, for giving me the opportunity to work with them on this research project. The task was straightforward from the onset, as the research proposal they had developed was concise. The clarity of their proposal took any potential confusion out of the survey questionnaire development, which can be a difficult task if the research objectives are not clearly defined.
I have appreciated the opportunity to work on this project, as learning disabilities is an area of both personal and academic interest for me. I have worked during both my undergraduate and graduate studies in the area of learning disabilities, exploring the impact learning disabilities have for children and youth. Working on this project provided the occasion to work in my area of interest with others who have practical experience working with individuals affected by learning disabilities.
Working on this research endeavor has been an educational experience. I had the opportunity to attend workshops with literacy practitioners that focused on a variety of information for working with adults in the field of literacy and additional information about learning disabilities. Attending these workshops gave me the opportunity to interact with literacy practitioners, whom I quickly recognized as individuals who are passionate and creative educators that are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of the adults with whom they work.
I had an opportunity to take part as a presenter in a workshop that focused on learning disabilities and teaching strategies that Shirley Stone and Lorraine Kaczor provided to literacy practitioners, a Learning Disability Association of Manitoba representative, and a representative from the Adult Learning and Literacy branch. This was an educational experience as any of my previous presentations were limited to the academic domain among colleagues and professors with whom I have become comfortable.
I appreciate the time Shirley and Lorraine spent editing the documents developed as tools for integrating the quantitative and qualitative data for the interpretation of research findings. They provided insight into the readability of the research findings interpretation for general understanding and clarity. Their insight was appreciated and added to the quality of the ongoing document development, finding interpretations, and the final report.
I have come to know Shirley as an encyclopedia of knowledge in the area of specialized strategies based on an individual‘s learning strengths and weaknesses that are appropriate for the task-at-hand (reading, writing, spelling). Lorraine‘s editing skills bring clarity to my writing along with a softness not often found in academic report writing. Lorraine shared her artistic expertise at manipulating the many tools within the word processing software. The experience of working on this project has provided me with knowledge, personal insights, and skills that I will bring to my academic writing experiences and my new research endeavors.