With the right supports in place, individuals with learning disabilities can succeed in school, thrive at work, and actively participate in their communities. Understanding these differences is a key step toward building more inclusive environments where everyone has the opportunity to grow.

What is a Learning Disability?
A learning disability (also referred to as a specific learning disability) is a brain-based difference that impacts how a person receives, processes, or expresses information. These differences most commonly affect academic skills such as reading, writing, and mathematics.

Learning disabilities are typically identified during school years when academic demands increase, though some individuals are diagnosed later in life—or may not receive a formal diagnosis at all. While lifelong, learning disabilities are also highly manageable when the right strategies, instruction, and accommodations are in place.

Common Types of Learning Disabilities
Learning disabilities exist along a spectrum and may present differently from person to person. Some of the most commonly recognized types include:

Dyslexia (Reading-Based Learning Disability)
Dyslexia affects reading fluency, spelling, decoding, and word recognition. Individuals may read more slowly or struggle to connect letters and sounds, making written language more challenging.

Dysgraphia (Writing-Based Learning Disability)
Dysgraphia impacts written expression, including handwriting, spelling, and organizing thoughts on paper. Writing tasks may require significantly more effort.

Dyscalculia (Math-Based Learning Disability)
Dyscalculia affects number sense, math reasoning, and understanding numerical concepts such as time, measurement, and calculations.

Other Related Learning Differences
Some individuals may also experience challenges with:

• Language comprehension or expression, such as a Language Processing Disorder or expressive/receptive language difficulties
• Memory and information processing, which may overlap with dyslexia or other learning differences that affect working memory and processing speed
• Organizational and executive functioning skills, often seen in conditions like ADHD, which can impact planning, task initiation, and follow-through
• Interpreting social or nonverbal cues, such as in Nonverbal Learning Disability (NVLD), which can affect understanding body language, spatial relationships, and social communication

Learning Disabilities Are Not About Intelligence
One of the most important truths about learning disabilities is that they are not a measure of intelligence.

Individuals with learning disabilities often have average or above-average intelligence. The difference lies in how the brain processes information—not in a person’s ability to learn, contribute, or succeed.
With appropriate instruction, accommodations, and encouragement, individuals can develop strong academic, employment, and life skills.

The Impact of Learning Disabilities
Without proper support, learning disabilities can create barriers in both academic and workplace settings. These challenges are often misunderstood as lack of effort, when in reality they reflect a need for different approaches to learning.

Individuals may experience:

• Difficulty meeting academic expectations
• Frustration with reading, writing, or math tasks
• Challenges with organization or time management
• Reduced confidence in school or work environments

These experiences highlight the importance of early identification and individualized support.

Support Makes the Difference
With the right supports, individuals with learning disabilities can build confidence and achieve meaningful success. Common supports include:

• Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
• Classroom or workplace accommodations (such as extended time or alternative formats)
• Assistive technology (text-to-speech, speech-to-text tools)
• Specialized instruction or tutoring

Equally important is a supportive environment that recognizes effort, encourages self-advocacy, and values different ways of learning.

Transition Planning: Building the Bridge to Adulthood
For students with learning disabilities, transition planning plays a critical role in long-term success. Transition planning focuses on preparing young people for life after high school—whether that includes employment, post-secondary education, independent living, or a combination of pathways.

Effective transition planning may include:

• Career exploration and job readiness support
• Skill-building for independent living
• Self-advocacy development
• Post-secondary education planning
• Work-based learning experiences and internships

At neba, transition planning services are designed to help individuals and families navigate this important stage with clarity and confidence. By focusing on strengths, goals, and practical supports, transition planning helps bridge the gap between school and adulthood—ensuring individuals are prepared not just for what comes next, but for long-term success.

Moving Toward Inclusion and Understanding
Creating inclusive communities starts with understanding how people learn differently. When we move away from deficit-based thinking and toward a strengths-based approach, we open more opportunities for success in school, work, and life.
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At neba, we believe every individual deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and contribute in ways that reflect their abilities and goals. Learning disabilities are not barriers to success—they are differences that, when supported well, can coexist with achievement, independence, and meaningful participation in the community.

For young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, entering the workforce can be one of the most difficult life stages. Countless young adults and students leave high school without a specific career direction, employer connections, or confidence to navigate the workplace. ​

This is where Project SEARCH comes into the picture. 

Project SEARCH is an international career development and employment training program, with the primary goal of securing competitive employment for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  
 
Through Project SEARCH, interns of differing ability all across the nation, get the opportunity to shatter traditional expectations by achieving competitive and meaningful employment.  
 
History 
The origins trace back to 1996 at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center where Erin Riehle, the Emergency Department Director at the time, recognized the importance for equal employment opportunities for individuals with both developmental and intellectual disabilities.  

Erin Riehle partnered with Susie Rutkowski, the special education director at Great Oaks Career Campuses, and together they made Project SEARCH history as the founders of the program. Instead of creating another classroom-based program, they built a model centered around total workplace immersion. Participants would learn directly inside a host business, gaining real experience in actual departments while receiving the support needed to succeed. During this period, an organization like this was revolutionary. 
 
How Project SEARCH Works 
The Transition-to-Work Program is a unique, business-led, employment preparation program that spans the duration of one academic year. Workplace immersion, classroom instruction, career exploration, and hands-on training through worksite rotations are the central components of the Project SEARCH model. 
 
Participants in the program receive the title of intern. Internships are the heart of the program that help interns discover their strengths, preferences, and career interests while building that large pool of transferable skills.  

Interns undergo extensive full day workshops that are designed to: 

1. Train 
2. Employ 
3. Support 

Train 
Interns experience three differing internships, each 10-12 weeks, around their local community. Here is where they develop skills for entry-level positions and improve their communication, problem-solving, teamwork, management, and preparation skills. The day includes five hours onsite with a thirty-minute lunch break.  
 
Employ 
Taking place in the final months of the program, interns begin shifting their efforts to individualized job search and development strategies. Connections with appropriate disability support services are established as interns prepare to graduate.  
 
Support 
Project SEARCH makes it apart of the mission to promise interns with a long-term employment follow-up plan in place before the intern graduates. Onsite Project SEARCH teams offer ongoing follow-up services for employed graduates to assist them with retaining their jobs. This includes periodic check-ins with both the employer and graduate. 
 
Achievements 
Project SEARCH has grown to 800+ active sites across the globe, operating across: 

• United States 
• United Kingdom 
• Canada 
• Australia 
• Europe 

Sites can be found in hospitals, colleges, airports, government agencies, and corporate settings.  
 
Project SEARCH consistently delivers strong employment outcomes: 

• 55,000+ Interns Served So Far 

• 4.8K new interns annually 

• 72% employment rate of graduates 

These strong outcomes have made Project SEARCH a credible model among educators, vocational rehabilitation agencies, and employers alike. 
 
Employers also benefit greatly from participating. Hosting a Project SEARCH site creates a pipeline of trained, motivated talent for entry-level and hard-to-fill positions. Many businesses find that interns become dependable employees with strong attendance, loyalty, and attention to detail. 
 
Project SEARCH and neba Partnership at Springfield College 
In 2017, neba became the first agency in western Massachusetts to provide a Project SEARCH program when it partnered with Springfield College. Upon meeting with DDS services and receiving the licensing, Project SEARCH was brought to Springfield College in the fall of 2017 with four interns becoming the first graduating class from Project SEARCH in 2018. 
 
neba and Springfield College had already been partnering with one another since 2001, when the On Our Way program launched. Together neba students at Springfield College have the sense of belonging to the campus community on top of receiving individual tutoring time. 
 
Paired with Project SEARCH, each intern gets 1:1 job coaching at the start, with over the shoulder support decreasing overtime as skills grow. neba continues to provide long-term support to students. Rotation choices are based on each intern’s skills, experience, and preferences. 
 
Every Monday through Friday, interns work from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM, starting and ending the day with 45-minute classroom sessions where they receive coaching and instruction on social and employment skills. 
 
Interns learn through direct experience that they can work a bare minimum of 20 hours a week with no issues. As they practice working a part time job, confidence and ability to maintain employment skyrockets, “anybody can get a job, but can you keep a job? We help interns maintain employment," said Ruth Poirier, Division Supervisor and Project SEARCH Program Coordinator. 
 
Over the Spring 2026 semester, recreational therapy practices have occurred on Friday afternoons with collaboration from Springfield College students in Rachel Keyworth, the Program Director of Recreation Industries and Therapeutic Recreation, classes. This new addition to the Project SEACH program, heightens the student community life on campus as together students and interns conduct social activity workshops that practice team building and communication guidance.   
 
History has shown successful placement rate after intern's graduate from Project SEARCH as in 2025, neba proudly received the 100% Excellent Employment Outcome Award from Project SEARCH.  
 
"It's a very rewarding feeling to see the growth and overcoming challenges as these young adults enter the workforce,” Poirier shared.  
 
Program Highlights 

• Onsite job training at a host site, combining classroom learning with practical work experience. 

• Nine-month intensive program dedicated to career exploration and skill-building. 

• Personalized support from instructors, job coaches, and mentors to ensure success. 

• Focus on achieving paid, integrated community employment for all participants. 

NOTE: Project SEARCH and neba also partner with Mass General Brigham Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, MA.

Why Project SEARCH Matters in 2026 
The current labor market is vast and within this large scope of labor, there is more demand for reliable workers. Combined with today’s increased focus on better disability hiring practices… 
Project SEARCH accomplishes: 

• Helping employers find their next hire. 

• Helping young adults launch careers. 

• Helping communities become more inclusive. 

 
Project SEARCH is one of the most successful disability employment transition programs ever created. 
 
Its work is all made possible due to one simple belief: 
People with disabilities have the right to choose a path toward education and employment. 

But big changes are coming. On July 4, 2025, Congress passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA). This new budget plan will cut almost $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next 10 years. These cuts, plus new rules, could hurt people with disabilities and their families in many ways.
 
1. Fewer Services – Especially Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS)
Medicaid has some services that states must cover, like hospital care. But many important supports for people with disabilities—such as Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS)—are “optional” for states. That means states can cut them if money is tight.¹

HCBS includes things like personal care, job coaching, transportation, and daily living help. These services allow people to live at home instead of being sent to a facility. If HCBS is cut, waiting lists will grow, and people may lose the help they need.

In Massachusetts and Connecticut, most big state-run institutions have closed. If someone loses HCBS, the main options left are nursing homes or Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICFs/IID). Connecticut also has the state-run Southbury Training School, but it only takes new residents in special cases. These settings are often far from family, more restrictive, and cost more—about $47,000 a year compared to $36,000 for HCBS.²
 
2. New Work Rules That Cause People to Lose Coverage
The new law says many people on Medicaid must prove they are working, looking for work, or doing community service to keep their insurance. It sounds simple, but research shows these rules don’t help people get jobs. Instead, they mostly cause people to lose coverage because of paperwork problems.³ ⁴ ⁵

This is especially bad for people with IDD. Many work part-time or in jobs that depend on Medicaid-funded supports. If they lose Medicaid, they could lose the very help that lets them work—making it even harder to meet the requirement.
 
3. More Frequent Eligibility Checks – More Paperwork, More Risk
Before, people had to renew their Medicaid once a year. Now they will have to do it every six months. This means more forms, more proof of income, and more chances for paperwork to get lost or be late.

Studies show that checking eligibility more often makes more people lose coverage by mistake and costs states more money to process.⁶ ⁷ ⁸ For people with IDD, even a short gap in coverage can mean losing access to medicine, in-home care, and therapy.
 
4. Cuts to SNAP Food Assistance
The bill also makes big cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). For the first time, states will have to help pay for it, which could reduce benefits. People will also have to show they work at least 20 hours a week to keep getting help; which without the above supports may not be possible.

For people with disabilities living on small, fixed incomes, SNAP can be the difference between having enough food and going hungry. The maximum benefit in 2024 was $291 a month—already not much to cover all meals. Losing SNAP could mean worse health and higher medical costs later.⁹ ¹⁰
 
Why This Matters

• HCBS costs less than institutions AND gives people more independence.
• Losing Medicaid means losing access to important care and support.
• Families may have to quit jobs to care for loved ones, which can cause money problems and increase the need for government help.

 
Speak Up and Take Action
Lawmakers need to hear from the people most affected. The Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council (MDDC) encourages everyone to contact their state and federal legislators and share why Medicaid and HCBS are so important.

Find your MA legislators here: malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator
Find your CT legislators here: https://www.cga.ct.gov/  (scroll down, located in the middle of the page)

At neba, we believe everyone should have the right to live, work, and thrive in their community. Medicaid cuts put those rights at risk. We stand with advocates, families, and individuals with disabilities to protect these essential services.

A Brief History
Disability Pride Month marks the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law on July 26, 1990. This landmark civil rights legislation prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in employment, education, transportation, and public accommodations.
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The first official Disability Pride Parade took place in Boston that same year. Over time, Disability Pride grew into a month-long recognition of disability as an essential and natural part of human diversity. Cities like New York and Chicago host annual parades and events that celebrate the disability community’s achievements, culture, and continued fight for equity.

Pride vs. Awareness: What's the Difference?
While many are familiar with Disability Awareness campaigns, Disability Pride takes things a step further. Awareness focuses on educating the public, while Pride celebrates disability as identity—highlighting that disability is not something to be “overcome” but embraced and honored.

The Disability Pride Flag: Symbols of Strength
In 2021, the Disability Pride Flag was redesigned by disabled artist Ann Magill to be more accessible. The updated flag features:

• A black background: mourning and rage for lives lost to ableism and neglect
• A diagonal band of five stripes representing various types of disabilities:
  •  Red: physical disabilities
  • Gold: neurodivergence
  • White: invisible and undiagnosed disabilities
  • Blue: psychiatric disabilities
  • Green: sensory disabilities
    
    

Why This Month Matters
Disability Pride Month is a reminder of how far we've come and how much work remains. It’s a chance to demand change while also honoring the achievements and leadership of disabled people.

How neba Supports Disability Pride Every Day
At neba, we empower individuals with disabilities and other barriers to employment to build meaningful careers and fully participate in their communities.We support inclusion by:

• Offering person-centered employment services Advocating for inclusive hiring practices
• Educating employers about accessibility
• Supporting self-advocacy and leadership development
• Promoting community integration and visibility

Join Us in Celebrating Disability Pride
We invite our community, partners, and employers to take this month as an opportunity to learn more, reflect, and take action. Together, we can create a world where everyone—regardless of ability—can thrive, contribute, and feel proud of who they are.

Disability is diversity. Disability is strength. Disability is pride.​

Katie started at Big Y’s Allen and Cooley Street location in Springfield as a Front-End Bagger. When she began working with neba, she shared her goal of becoming a Cashier. She believed she could grow into that role - and so did we.

To help make that goal a reality, Katie joined neba’s On Our Way program at Springfield College, where she worked hard to build the skills she needed to work independently at the register. Even though the management at her original store wasn’t ready to move her into a cashier position, Katie didn’t give up. With support from neba, she transferred to the Big Y in Wilbraham in 2015 - and she’s been thriving ever since.

At the Wilbraham store, Katie has truly made her mark. She’s a dependable team member, known for helping younger coworkers with things like ID checks and regularly offering to cover shifts when the store is short-staffed. Her coworkers and managers know they can count on her.

And at her recent celebration, Store Manager Roger shared some incredible news: Katie has been selected to represent Massachusetts at the Special Olympics USA Games 2026 in Minnesota next year! She’ll be competing in bowling, a sport she loves and excels at.

Katie’s story is one of resilience, teamwork, and what’s possible when people are given the opportunity to succeed. We’re so proud of all she’s accomplished and honored to support her in her journey.

​Congratulations, Katie - we’re cheering you on, every step of the way!