Chance Program

In the fall of 1987, Graceland University launched a pilot program designed to provide remediation of specifically diagnosed language dysfunctions among college students. These dysfunctions are estimated to affect one-third of the entire population without regard to sex, age, or intelligence. The specific dysfunctions addressed in this program are faulty auditory conceptual judgment which affects reading and spelling, and inadequate mental imaging which affects the ability to fully comprehend written and oral information.

Graceland's Chance Program is currently producing excellent results in assisting students to become "self-correcting" in their reading and spelling, as well as developing their ability to properly integrate imagery for expanded comprehension: to include drawing inferences, predicting/extending, and evaluating written and oral information.

The Chance Program is designed to be intrusive in nature in that it includes tracking class attendance, supportive advising, and academic strategies built around the specific remediation models. The Chance Program also makes physical arrangements to meet the individual needs of the student. These arrangements may include oral testing, extended time tests, taping of classroom activities for note taking, or other arrangements deemed necessary.

The Chance Program is based on two clinical models. The ADD Program (Auditory Discrimination in Depth), developed by researchers Patricia and Charles Lindamood, is the model used for the remediation of reading and spelling problems. Visualizing and Verbalizing for Language Comprehension, developed by Nanci Bell, is the second model which is used to treat students who have been diagnosed as having poor comprehension of oral and written language.