Literacy Activities Handbook - Saskatchewan Association of Rehabilitation Centres

Making the direct connection between developing literacy skills and achieving empowerment can be motivating and beneficial for learners with intellectual / developmental disabilities and their tutors.

valuing, validating, and recording the life stories and experiences (both positive and negative) of learners.
learning about rights, citizenship, and fuller participation in society.
advocating for changes in policies and practices through writing letters, speeches, awareness events, or possibly through participating with People First.

"I see writing as a support for me. I would like to write a story in the Edmonton Journal. It would be about the way handicapped people are treated so poorly. I would write it to open people's eyes. It would be explosive. The thing I would like to tell other people is, "Look at yourself before you look at others." I can't write that yet, though. I am not comfortable enough with my writing yet. I need more time. I have to practice more. Susan makes me practice more. She is good to me. She makes me feel that I belong here. We do reading, writing, and math together."

Darren Crawford
Darren Crawford and Angele Hubert, The Challenges of Literacy and Employment, including Facilitator's Notes by Susan Devins and Maureen Sanders. Edmonton, AB: PROSPECTS Adult Literacy Association, 1995.

Adapted from:
Roeher Institute. The Right to Read and Write: A Straightforward Guide to Literacy and People with a Mental Handicap in Canadas. Toronto, ON: Roeher Institute, 1990, pp. 12-13.