Ken, aged 37, has had long term depression for which he takes medication. He is of average intelligence, but the medication affects his concentration, memory and his ability to work and socialise. His condition fluctuates and he has good and bad days.  Due to interrupted schooling and his failure to get a job, he lacks confidence and has low self-esteem.

Ken was desperately keen to upgrade his literacy and numeracy skills with a view to getting a job, so he enrolled on the adult basic literacy and numeracy courses at his local college. The variable nature of his condition meant that he had poor attendance, punctuality and erratic behaviour. His tutors were worried about his lack of progress; on the numeracy course, in particular, he seemed to be going backwards.  He finds written tests extremely stressful and he always performs well below standard on these.

Two key members of the department recently retired and the remaining tutors got together to discuss how best to support the needs of Ken and others who have similar problems on their courses. They devised a list of enabling strategies which were particularly important to share with the new colleagues who have just been appointed.

Enabling Strategies

• Establish a good relationship and give plenty of encouragement. Deal sensitively with personal information and focus on what is needed to help the learner to learn.
• Enable learners to have immediate successes in learning.
• Some learners may experience changes in behaviour that may create an uncomfortable situation in the learning environment. It is better to allow learners to withdraw, if they wish to, rather than feel obliged to 'manage' the behaviour, which could lead to confrontation. This behaviour is more likely to be caused by external circumstances rather than the current learning situation.
• Allow sufficient time for learners to settle down and demonstrate their skills to the full.
• Plan flexible programmes of learning to respond to variations in capacity to learn, attendance, etc.
• For learners with mental health difficulties, it will be particularly crucial to design learning sessions that include a variety of activities.
• When designing learning programmes and learning support, consideration should be given to maximising access to 'catch-up' activities when sessions are missed
• Provide practice, reassurance and possibly extra time for formal assessments, and consider providing alternative assessment approaches when appropriate.
• Discussion of personal issues can occur in basic skills classes, and teachers may begin inappropriately to take on the role of other professionals such as counsellors. Teachers need to be clear about the extent of their role and know when and how to refer the learner to someone else who has more relevant skills.
• Encourage a supportive environment and activities that can accommodate individuals when they find social interaction problematic.
• Drug therapy can sometimes lead to poor muscular control. For those who experience this, instead of a regular mouse, a roller ball with single click function and lock can be a great help. High resolution PCs avoid distressing flickering, and anti-glare screens give added protection.

Based on info from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills

Two people with the same disability can experience different effects. Furthermore, the effects of one disability can be similar to the effects of another (for example, deaf learners and learners who have autistic spectrum disorders may both experience difficulties in using abstract language).