CHAPTER 4 - FACT SHEET 1

Identifying People Who Have Low Literacy

Police are required by law to “accommodate” people who have low literacy. This means that you must do everything you can reasonably can to make sure people understand the verbal and written information that you give them.

Before you can make changes for people who have low literacy skills, you must first be able to identify who they are. Keep in mind that people who have trouble reading, writing, and understanding verbal information often try to cover up their problem or aren’t even aware of it. They use a variety of strategies to do this, including avoidance and denial.

Here are some of the signs that may indicate a person has a low level of literacy.

In a verbal interview, a person with low literacy may:

When asked to read or write something, a person with low literacy may: