Sensitivity training

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• Sensitivity training

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• The shocking facts
• Low literacy is a fact in Canada, and it is more
  wide-spread than many would presume. Statistics
  Canada, the Organization for Economic
  Co-operation and Development (OECD), Human
  Resources and Skills Development Canada, and the
  US National Center for Education Statistics have
  conducted research that indicates the literacy
  proficiency of Canadians. These statistics create
  a revealing picture of the literacy levels scored
  by Canadians - by province and territory, and
  nationally.

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• THE LATEST STATISTICS
• Four out of 10 adult Canadians, age 16 to 65 -
  representing 9 million Canadians - struggle with
  low literacy. (Adult Literacy and Life Skills
  (ALL) Survey, Statistics Canada and the
  Organization for Economic Co-operation and
  Development, 2005)
• Considering those adult Canadians with low
  literacy, 15 per cent have serious problems
  dealing with any printed materials an additional
  27 per cent can only deal with simple reading
  tasks. (Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey,
  2005)
• Five provinces and territories - Newfoundland and
  Labrador, PEI, New Brunswick, Quebec and Nunavut
  - have more people with low literacy than the
  national average. The Yukon, British Columbia,
  Alberta and Saskatchewan have fewer people with
  low literacy. (International Adult Literacy and
  Skills Survey (IALSS), Statistics Canada, the
  Organization for Economic Co-operation and
  Development (OECD), Human Resources and Skills
  Development Canada, and the US National Center
  for Education Statistics, 2005)
• While the performance of the three western
  provinces is relatively better than in other
  regions of the country, four out of 10 people in
  those provinces still fall in the low-literacy
  range. (International Adult Literacy and Skills
  Survey (IALSS), 2005)
• As you go across the country, the percentage of
  Canadians 16 and over with the lowest literacy
  skills range from 14 per cent to 24 per cent,
  with Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and
  Quebec having the highest percentages. This
  position has persisted from 1994 statistics to
  these most recent 2003 statistics. (International
  Adult Literacy and Skills Survey (IALSS), 2005)
• Though the majority of Canadian youth, age 16 to
  25, attain the minimum level of literacy skills
  needed to cope with the demands of everyday life
  and work, anywhere from 18 per cent to 38 per
  cent of youth, depending upon the region of the
  country, do not attain that minimum proficiency.
  (International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey
  (IALSS), 2005)
• Sixty per cent of immigrants have low literacy,
  compared with 37 per cent of native-born
  Canadians. (International Adult Literacy and
  Skills Survey (IALSS), 2005)

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• Low literacy impacts personal growth and
  economic well-being
• There is a correlation between literacy and
  wage levels in Canada. A Statistics Canada study
  indicates that each additional year of education
  a person receives is worth 8.3 per cent on their
  paycheque. Using an annual base salary of
  30,000, this amounts to an additional 2,490 per
  year. (Literacy, Numeracy and Labour Market
  Outcomes in Canada, Statistics Canada, 2001)
• The 9 million Canadian adults who have low
  literacy are about twice as likely to be
  unemployed. (International Adult Literacy and
  Skills Survey (IALSS), 2005)
• A rise of one per cent in literacy scores
  relative to the international average is
  associated with an eventual 2.5 per cent relative
  rise in labour productivity and a 1.5 per cent
  rise in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per person.
  ("Literacy scores, human capital and growth
  across 14 OECD countries," Serge Coulombe,
  Jean-François Tremblay and Sylvie Marchand,
  Statistics Canada, 2004)

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• Literacy Definition
• "The ability to understand and employ printed
  information in daily activities at home, at work
  and in the community - to achieve one's goals,
  and to develop one's knowledge and potential."
  (Literacy Skills for the Knowledge Society
  Further Results from the International Adult
  Literacy Survey, Organization for Economic
  Co-operation and Development, Human Resources
  Development Canada and the Minister responsible
  for Statistics Canada, 1997)

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• Literacy Levels
• Level 1 - People who have difficulty with printed
  materials and identify themselves as unable to
  read.
• Level 2 - People who can use printed materials
  for limited purposes such as finding a familiar
  word in a simple text.
• Level 3 - People who can use reading materials in
  a variety of situations providing it is simple,
  clearly laid out and the tasks involved are not
  too complex. The minimum skills level suitable
  for coping with the demands of everyday life and
  work in a complex, advanced society. It denotes
  roughly the skills level required for successful
  secondary school completion and college entry.
• PEOPLE WHO DO NOT ACHIEVED LEVEL 3 ARE DEEMED TO
  HAVE LOW LITERACY.
• Levels 4 and 5 - People who demonstrate a command
  of higher-order information-processing skills.

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• Literacy Lingo
• These commonly used words and phrases are the
  preferred ways to communicate information about
  literacy.
• Use "low literacy skills" instead of
  "illiterate." The term "illiterate" is no longer
  used in literacy circles as it denotes an
  extremely small percentage of people who would
  not be able to recognize any words whatsoever.
• Use "low literacy skills" instead of "lack of
  literacy skills."
• "Literacy"Grade 8 or under"Upgrading" Grade 9
  or overTaken together, they are known as "adult
  basic education"
• Use "adult basic education" instead of "adult
  education"
• Refer to "people with literacy needs" or "people
  with literacy challenges/difficulties"
• When speaking to potential learners, refer to
  "reading, writing and math skills" not "literacy
  skills"

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• What is the usual way we try to help?
• If we know or suspect that people cannot read or
  write, we gladly read them the letters they need
  to have read, fill in forms for them, tell them
  where St. Catherine Street or Atwater Metro is.
  We want all Montrealers to be able to use the
  services they want, buy the things they need and
  find resources they need. Many of us are generous
  with our time and lend our skills to others.
• However, doing literacy tasks for people who
  cannot read or write only helps them for a
  moment. When they next need to fill in a form or
  read a letter, they may not be able to find
  someone to lend a hand. Sometimes, by helping
  out, we become part of the problem. We leave a
  person no better able to handle the literacy
  challenges they come across every day. As well,
  we waste a chance to support the person in making
  a major life change becoming literate.

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• Because..
• With a limited ability to read, people can get
  by. They can find the bus they take to work every
  day, get someone to help them figure out the
  symbols on the machines they have to use, have a
  friend read their job instructions to them and
  learn to recognize the words they need to know to
  get their jobs done. When someone asks them to
  read a memo, they may say they've forgotten their
  glasses. If they are asked to take notes at a
  meeting, they may say that their handwriting is
  terrible and ask if someone else could do that
  job.

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• The Signs of Low Literacy
• You have probably dealt with some people whom you
  thought might be having difficulty reading and
  writing. It is often hard to be sure, especially
  if you only deal with an individual once or
  twice. The following literacy notes list a number
  of indicators that can alert you to watch for
  other signs of low literacy.
• Literacy Notes
• Someone with poor reading and writing skills may
• Avoid reading and writing tasks by
• writing illegibly
• not volunteering for any activities involving
  reading and writing
• offering excuses for not completing forms or
  written tasks
• Seem less capable when having to rely on written
  information
• have difficulty doing things based on written
  directions
• ask to have information repeated verbally
• watch what other people do before starting a
  task
• speak up often, but be unable to follow up with
  written documentation when requested.

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You can make a difference

• By volunteering to help an individual with low
  literacy you enhance the lives of these
  individuals.
• Teaching an adult to read can be the most
  rewarding and challenging experience of your
  life. Opening the printed page to nonreaders is
  like giving sight to the blind. You will share
  the joy of your students as they enter this new
  world of books and find secrets formerly hidden."
  
• E.M. Kirk, R.S. Laubach
•  

Adapted from The John Howard Society of Canada
(1991). Taking down the wall of words