· The Learning Environment

It is necessary to ensure that the learning environment facilitates learning rather than inhibiting it. This includes ensuring physical comfort, limiting distracters, balancing group and individual instruction according to the learners’ needs and ensuring that all learning media are accessible to the learner.

Architectural Modifications

There are many features of a building and the surrounding environment, such as stairs and narrow entrances, which can make access and egress difficult for a person with a physical disability. Care should be taken to locate literacy programs in buildings and locations which conform fully to accessibility standards and requirements and which facilitate full participation for all learners.

Funding

A lack of adequate funding is clearly a barrier to the provision of literacy education, but it is also a political issue. Given the well-established connection between limited literacy and poverty, we recommend that funding is made available to assist learners with physical disabilities to take full advantage of available literacy programs. The provision of adequate and sustainable funding depends on the will and commitment of provincial and federal governments and continued lobbying by advocacy organizations and the able-bodied population is also necessary.

Transportation

Many people with physical disabilities do not have their own vehicle and have problems accessing appropriate public transportation. Program developers in choosing a location need to also consider and investigate the availability of transportation and parking options for people with physical disabilities. We need to either assist the learner to get to the program or deliver the program to them in their home. This is especially important in small rural communities where there are fewer transportation options and suitable literacy programs are not as readily available.

Partnership

Collaboration between stakeholders – advocacy organizations and program providers – is needed to build partnerships, capitalize on experience and minimize overlap and redundancy in program provision. Linkages between disability groups and literacy groups must be established at the program level.