Adult Literacy

Imagine for a minute that you didn’t know how to read or write. How do you think you would be able to get by in life? Think about how many times a day you have to read something in order to know what to do. For instance while you are driving you have to read signs along the road to know what the road is doing ahead of you. You also have to read stop signs or posted speed signs. You also have to know how to read even to go to the grocery store. If you didn’t know how to read then how would you know what groceries you are buying?
It seems like these questions are silly or do not have any relevance anymore, but actually one out of seven adults in the United States can’t read. (Can you read this?) Adult Literacy is defined as: using printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential. (Adult Literacy Fact Sheet) I personally had no idea that adult literacy was still a huge problem today. The U.S. Department of Education issued an estimate of the literacy skills in the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy. Performance is rated on the following scale: Below Basic, Basic, Intermediate, and Proficient. Overall, it is estimated that 93 million U.S. adults have Basic and Below Basic literacy skills. (Adult Literacy Fact Sheet) This study along with others also found out that adults living in poverty were more likely to have lower average literacy scores than adults with higher incomes. Seniors over the age 65 had the lowest average literacy scores of any age range. 64 % of them scored in the Basic and Below Basic levels. The study also showed that half of the adults who did not have a high school diploma scored in the Below Basic levels.
So why is adult literacy so important? Literacy skills impact every aspect of adult life. It has shown that adults who are literate are more likely to read to their children and help with their homework, be employed full time and receive a higher salary, and also be able to use the internet and send emails. Literate adults are also able to vote, volunteer, and access information about current events. Unfortunately, only a fraction of low literate adults seek literacy services from community providers. Many people with a low literacy do not see their skills as a problem until a crisis such as the loss of their job, a child’s need for help with school, or a healthcare emergency makes them aware of their literacy needs. (Adult Literacy Fact Sheet)
So what can we do about this problem? I think that we need to make it aware to everyone the value of becoming a literate adult. We need to promote fundraisers to raise money in every local community to have programs available to anyone needing help with learning how to read and write. Finally, I think we need to show everyone that we care about this issue and we are trying to resolve it every possible way we know how.