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Research will put a Canadian face on Learning Disabilities

Pauline Mantha, Executive Director of the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada, announced today the appointment of 13 Steering Committee members to the research project Putting a Canadian Face on Learning Disabilities (PACFOLD).

PACFOLD is a three-phase project. With its focus on obtaining, quantifying and disseminating knowledge, it will place Canada at the forefront of understanding who has learning disabilities (LD), what their challenges are and which coping mechanisms they use successfully to overcome those challenges.

Over the next 13 months, the Steering Committee will advise the Research Team on its direction and findings, as it examines up to 10 Statistics Canada survey databases that include specific questions on LD as well as indicators of possible LD. Focus groups will also be conducted to enhance and expand the research with qualitative data, bringing the human perspective to the LD experience.

The members appointed to the PACFOLD Steering Committee bring a wide range of expertise and experience to the research project. They include experts in the field of LD, practitioners, policy consultants, adults with LD and statisticians.

Members of the Steering Committee include:

  • Annie Baert, Executive Director, Learning Disabilities Association of Nova Scotia, Halifax, NS
  • Dr. Sylvie C. Cartier, psychopédagogue, professor, University of Montreal, Montréal, QC, researcher for the Centre for Research and Intervention on Academic Success, Laval University, QC
  • Janet Cox, Disability Consultant, Edmonton, Alberta
  • Dr. David Ellemberg, Neuropsychologist, Montréal, QC
  • Dr. John Freeman, Associate Professor, Educational Psychology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON
  • Dr. Nancy Hutchinson, Professor of Education, Coordinator, Graduate Studies and Research, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON
  • Denise Jacques, Disability Consultant, Ottawa, ON
  • Kate Lloyd, Co-Interim Executive Director, Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario, Toronto, ON
  • Dr. Wayne MacDonald, neuropsychologist, Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • Dr. Doug Norris, Director General, Census and Demographic Statistics Branch, Statistic Canada, Ottawa, ON
  • James Page, Policy Consultant, Ottawa, ON
  • Karen Quinn, Co-Interim Executive Director, Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario, Toronto, ON
  • Dale Rempel, Executive Director, Learning Disabilities Association of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK

The Research Team, headed by co-principal investigators, Dr. Alexander M. Wilson, Director of the Meighen Centre at Mount Allison University, in New Brunswick and Adele Furrie, an Ottawa-based expert in disability statistics, are joined by researchers Dr. Elizabeth Walcot-Gayda, Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Sherbrooke in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Dr. Catherine Deri, Department of Economics of the University of Ottawa, and Andrew Archer, an information data retrieval expert.

“Today, we rely on USA statistics, which puts us at a disadvantage. This research will provide us with an important first step in the process of establishing a baseline for future identification of the incidence of LD in Canada,” said Dr. Alexander Wilson, Research Team co-principal investigator.

This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Social Development Partnerships Program and Learning Disabilities Association of Canada.

Founded in 1963, the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada (LDAC) is the national voice for persons with learning disabilities and those who support them. LDAC is dedicated to building a level playing field for individuals with learning disabilities to enable them to function as citizens with equal opportunities and to develop to their chosen potential. LDAC accomplishes these goals through public awareness about the nature and impact of learning disabilities, advocacy, research, health, education and collaborative efforts.

For more information contact
Learning Disabilities Association of Canada
(613) 238-5721

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