Center for Literacy and Disability Studies

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Center for Literacy and Disability Studies Addressing the literacy learning needs of persons with disabilities of all ages.

The Center for Literacy and Disability Studies is a unit within the Department of Allied Health Sciences, School of Medicine, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Formerly known as the Carolina Literacy Center, the CLDS was established in September 1990 to address the literacy needs of individuals with severe speech and physical impairments in North Carolina. The CLDS has expanded i

ts focus since then and now addresses the needs of individuals with a range of disabilities in response to the demands of families, educators, and health care professionals across the United States and the world. The CLDS has concentrated most of its resources on individuals with severe and multiple disabilities, an estimated 70-90 percent of whom read and write at levels significantly below their non-disabled peers.

Love seeing the campers in this video - they are now young adults putting their literacy skills to use every day!
09/07/2025

Love seeing the campers in this video - they are now young adults putting their literacy skills to use every day!

17/03/2024

The application is live for adults who want to participate as Literacy Counselors at Camp ALEC. Learn more here:

The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.

Come join us!  We'll be focused on conventional literacy instruction for three days.  Early bird registration is ending ...
26/02/2024

Come join us! We'll be focused on conventional literacy instruction for three days. Early bird registration is ending tonight.

Do you have ideas about AAC design? Have you ever imagined an AAC system doing things differently? Let's work together t...
22/01/2024

Do you have ideas about AAC design? Have you ever imagined an AAC system doing things differently? Let's work together to have a hands-on experience with an open-source platform to create your own design! Bring your laptop and join the Project Open team at ATIA Maker Day 2024. It's going to be fun!

Time: 10 AM-1 PM, Jan 27
Location: Grand Ballroom 8A


We are helping our friend and colleague, Charna, fill the gap between what her insurance will cover and what it actually...
14/02/2023

We are helping our friend and colleague, Charna, fill the gap between what her insurance will cover and what it actually costs to rebuild these days. If you have benefited from the work of the Center for Literacy & Disability Studies, you have benefited from Charna’s hard work and insights. From the Making Words lessons in Readtopia to the companion texts and vignettes in DLM to our newest book, Charna has contributed great things. Please help if you can.

On Tuesday, February 7th, Charna, Lee, and Frankie lost their beloved hom… Beth Coleman needs your support for House fire relief for Charna, Lee, and Frankie

Current and past members of the CLDS family hope you will join us as we celebrate the life of David E. Yoder, co-founder...
10/02/2023

Current and past members of the CLDS family hope you will join us as we celebrate the life of David E. Yoder, co-founder and original director of the CLDS. Dr. Yoder, passed away on February 2nd, at the age of 90. He was a pioneer who recognized that access to quality literacy instruction is a human right. Many of us have been guided by his belief that no individual is “too anything” to learn to read and write. David was a visionary who worked toward what could be. The combination of his caring heart and brilliant mind led to the foundational work that has influenced and inspired countless colleagues, educators, clinicians, and students. His commitment to improved language and literacy access and tireless work ethic resulted in numerous leadership roles, academic honors, peer-reviewed publications, and guest lectures. Despite his impressive body of work, and the many positive changes he spurred during his lifetime, David would be the first to remind us that there is still much work to be done. At the CLDS, we will continue to strive to honor his legacy by doing just that. You can read his full obituary at https://go.unc.edu/DEYoder

David E. Yoder, age 90, died peacefully February 2, 2023. David was born July 16, 1932 in the small Amish and Mennonite community of Shipshewana, Indiana, the middle son of Glen and Beulah Yoder. A well-educated man, David graduated from Shipshewana High School (1950); Goshen College with a B.S. in....

Our goal is to make literacy accessible for ALL... even in parks!
08/08/2022

Our goal is to make literacy accessible for ALL... even in parks!

Dr. Penny Hatch and Dr. Nancy Quick, research assistant professors in the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies, worked with the National Park Service to make their Junior Ranger program more accessible and inclusive of children with a range of disabilities. In July, the project was featured as the cover story for Exceptional Parent Magazine. Read about their work, starting on page 20: https://www.epmagazine.com/

09/09/2021

If you are a speech-language pathologist in the U.S., you are invited to take this survey on language and literacy. Your participation will help to answer what the state of language and literacy is in the field of speech-language pathology. If you have any questions, please email juliayi@med.unc.edu. Thank you in advance for your participation!

Please click here for the survey that is estimated to take 3-10 minutes: https://unc.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5bwsYyxxohdtuhE

The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.

26/07/2021

Dr. Kathryn Dorney's dissertation on "Receptive Language in IEPs of Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities and Complex Communication Needs" is also live!

“In this study, the content of the IEPs of 258 students with SCD/CCN across six U.S. states was used to determine the focus on receptive and expressive language… Results revealed expressive language was disproportionally addressed with a limited focus on receptive language. Further examination revealed the IEPs designated the assignment of five language skills as a means to measure the improvement of receptive language. The IEPs of students within the autism disability category and elementary grade band were more likely to include receptive language goals that addressed following directions. The IEPs of students within the multiple disability category and elementary grade band were more likely to include goals addressing answering questions.”

Click here to access the full text: https://bit.ly/371yc7j

If you are looking for learning opportunities this summer, check out our free professional development modules!TarHeel S...
12/07/2021

If you are looking for learning opportunities this summer, check out our free professional development modules!

TarHeel Shared Reader: https://www.sharedreader.org/professional-development/

Project Core: http://www.project-core.com/professional-development-modules/

Dynamic Learning Maps: https://www.dlmpd.com/all-modules-organized-by-claim/

Professional Development Modules Organized by Claim or Domain A list of modules organized alphabetically can be found here: All modules in alphabetical order Sets of modules combined into Professional Development Packages DLM FundamentalsWho are Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabili...

Our very own Dr. Sofia Benson-Goldberg’s dissertation on "Quantifying Emergent Literacy Learning Opportunities Extended ...
30/06/2021

Our very own Dr. Sofia Benson-Goldberg’s dissertation on "Quantifying Emergent Literacy Learning Opportunities Extended to Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Complex Communication Needs in Special Education" is up!

https://tinyurl.com/mxnef46w

From her abstract: “The results suggest that students with IDD/CCN receive infrequent emergent literacy learning opportunities. Furthermore, the opportunities they do receive do little to support students with them in becoming conventional readers and writers. Encouragingly, both data sets suggest that special education teachers are providing more literacy instruction than the historical data suggested. However, the qualitative data show how vestiges of traditional special education, with its focus on one-on-one instruction and mastery, have largely prevented teachers’ efforts from translating into increased learning opportunities for students. Therefore, there is an immediate and urgent need to support teachers in maximizing the time they spend teaching all students while attending to all aspects of comprehensive literacy instruction each day.”

PDF | Literacy plays an especially important role in aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) because spelling and writing support precise... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

28/05/2021

Calling all SLPs!

If you are a speech-language pathologist in the U.S., you are invited to take this survey on language and literacy. Your participation will help to answer what the state of language and literacy is in the field of speech-language pathology.

If you have any questions, please email juliayi@med.unc.edu. The survey is estimated to take 3-10 minutes. Thank you in advance for your participation!
https://unc.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5bwsYyxxohdtuhE

The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.

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