The Challenges Facing the Illiterate

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

To the Editor:

Low literacy levels in adults affect each and every one of us, as pointed out in your article (“Building a Nation of Readers,” April 20). Annually, billions of dollars are lost due to preventable health problems and lost or lower productivity on the job directly related to low literacy levels.

Thank you for pointing out that parents with low literacy levels will pass those same low levels of literacy on to their children. Often we think of teaching children, but we must teach their parents, too.

Having been a volunteer tutor for the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council (where I was previously director of development), I worked with adults who wanted to build their literacy levels so they could be better role models for their children, become more active in their church or temple, participate in community events, and become eligible for better jobs.

Many other adult-literacy students are refugees or immigrants who want to build their English-language skills. They often feel isolated and depressed because they are unable to communicate with their neighbors, their children’s teachers, or with the person waiting next to them for a bus. Many are highly trained individuals who are now underemployed because of the language barrier.

I hope each reader of The Chronicle will take to heart the importance of literacy in our community and hope that each will consider volunteering an hour or two each week with their local literacy agency.

David Tinker
Pittsburgh