Question: Do you help people with a learning disability find a career? Cause I really struggle with learning cause of my learning disability and I can’t seem to find a good career yet I tried to do web design at SAIT of the first class being photoshop and I wasn’t able to catch on to it and learn it properly like all the other kids and I get really depressed easily cause I suffer from depression a lot  and anxiety as well just from not being able to learn properly or do you have a program for disability people where you do different assignments at a slower pace to help them find a career that maybe they could do someday

Thank you for bringing this topic to the website. We do help people find a career and that includes exploring the important factors to consider in making choices about education and future career possibilities. Since knowledge about yourself is an important first step in the process, your understanding of your learning-disability is a valuable beginning.

There are three points I would like to emphasize.

One is that there is more than your learning disability to factor into your education and career choices. Even if you find a program that has the kind of learning and pace that works for your learning needs, you are a complex person. You have interests, personality preferences, values, and passions that are also helpfully factored in to your decision. You mentioned studying web design. I suspect you discovered more about yourself than merely what helps, or makes it difficult, for you to learn. So a rich understanding of yourself is important and Student Counselling Services offers a Career Passion workshop to help you to continue that process and organize your thoughts. If you would like support in your decision-making after taking the workshop you can meet with a counsellor one-on-one.

The second point is that there are many resources at MRU to support students with their learning. Those with a diagnosed learning disability can bring their documentation to Accessibility Services and meet with an Access Advisor to talk about the kind of support and classroom conditions that help you to be successful. There are technologies such as talk-to-text programs, possible funding for learning strategists, and test-taking accommodations that can mitigate some of the challenges posed by learning disabilities. As well, Student Learning Services provides many workshops and their Learning Strategists offer individual consultations. So it is also important to not assume too many limitations for career and educational choices until you have explored these kinds of supports. You may also be interested to know that the second most common reason students go to Student Counselling Services, is to deal with anxiety. Stress is the number one reason, and depression is not far behind anxiety. These, on their own, can pose a significant challenge to learning, and can be related to the challenges created by your learning disability. So please do come to counselling to explore what you can do to address anxiety and depression. If you’d like to try a workshop first, there is a “Managing Anxiety and Worry” workshop that would be a good start.

Finally, post-secondary campuses offer more than the opportunity to advance academically. There are many opportunities to become engaged in activities that support your growth as a person. These experiences also become a great way to learn more about what you are good at, how you like to work with people, and what is meaningful to you. Becoming involved in these things not only looks great on a resume, but they offer you the chance to learn about yourself and develop skills that will serve you well in whatever careers you might decide to pursue.

Once you have a bit of a path charted, Career Services can further support you in such things as finding service learning prospects, volunteer opportunities, job searches, and helping you with your resume.

As you see, there are resources to help you along the way at every step. I wish you all the best in your career exploration.

Mirjam Knapik

MRU Counsellor, Student Counselling Services