Project Proposal

The topic I am choosing to focus on is the link between poverty and learning disabilities. In focusing on this topic, I will be searching for the answers to three questions:

1. What is the cause in the link between poverty and learning disabilities? Does one tend to cause the other or is there some outside force that influences both? Or are they independent of one another completely?
2. What is currently attempting to be done in education and policies to help those who suffer from learning disabilities?
3. What else can be done to help those with learning disabilities that is not currently being done?

I intend to answer the first question through the use of the articles by Emerson and Ryan. Emerson’s article focuses specifically on this question, so I feel that it will be quite insightful as to possible answers to that question. Ryan’s article also discusses the link between poverty and learning disabilities, so I feel that it will be able to provide me with some information to work with as well. I may also refer to the Zosky article if I feel that it has insights that the other two are unable to provide. As for the second question, I expect to pull most of my information from Pasachoff and Schutzki. Both articles have a lot to say about what the I.D.E.A. entails, and from what I have been able to find this is the main aid being currently given to those with learning disabilities. The last question I hope to answer through the use of Pasachoff, Schutzki, and Zosky. Each of these articles gives either some input as to how they would change the current policy if they could or how small local efforts are working now and should become more commonplace.