History

Some Notes on the History of DLD

The Division for Learning Disabilities (DLD) was organized in 1983 to promote the education and general welfare of people with Learning Disabilities, and it was recognized by the Board of Governors of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) 1 July 1983. After a two-year charter period and developing a constitution and bylaws (since amended), DLD applied for and received status as a Division within CEC.

In 2008 in Boston (MA, US) at the celebration of DLD’s 25th anniversary, President Kathleen J. Marshall welcomed hundreds of guest with the message that follows.  

Many volunteers have served DLD over the years. On a different page, DLD acknowledges people who have been elected treasurer for the organization. Listed to the right of President Marshall’s remarks are the names of people of have served as president of DLD (updated through June 2019).

As President of the Division for Learning Disabilities, I am pleased to welcome you to this celebration of the organization’s 25th anniversary. The Division for Learning Disabilities (DLD) began its formal existence at a meeting of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) in 1983 when a group of eminent figures in our discipline—Carrie Brodie, William Cruickshank, and Samuel Kirk—formed an ad hoc committee and petitioned CEC on behalf of themselves and other members of CEC to form DLD.

In the 25 years since those leaders’ efforts on behalf of students with Learning Disabilities, DLD has pursued its mission in many ways. In cooperation with Blackwell Publishing, DLD publishes the widely respected Learning Disabilities Research & Practice. It distributes a newsletter, once called the DLD Times and recently re-christened New Times for DLD, to members. In collaboration with the Division for Research, it develops and publishes Current Practice Alerts which are timely and informed reports about professional practices in the field. It provides an extensive Web site, TeachingLD, that is visited by tens of thousands of browsers every month. And these are only a few of DLD’s activities.

At the time of DLD’s inception, Learning Disabilities was experiencing rapid growth. As a relatively new category of disability, there was substantial emphasis on identifying students who required special education because of Learning Disabilities and extensive interest in research about the nature and treatment of Learning Disabilities. Today, there is renewed concern about prevention of Learning Disabilities and the discipline supports an extensive research base.

I welcome you to join DLD as we pursue the improvement of educational outcomes for students with Learning Disabilities and the general welfare of individuals with LD.

Kathleen J. Marshall
President, 2006-2007