• Developing two online surveys, one for literacy organizations and another for disability organizations. 95 organizations were invited to respond; 36 responses were received in total, a 38% response rate. 17 literacy and 16 disability organizations responded. Unfortunately, the size of the sampling is too small to draw definitive conclusions. Therefore, this report does not rely on the survey results except where they support findings from other sources.

The purpose of the surveys was to

• Understand the nature of the literacy services available in the Halifax Regional Municipality;
• Learn about the experiences of literacy organizations in servicing persons with special needs or disabilities; and
• Learn about the experience of disability organizations in servicing their clients with low literacy.

2.4. Project Scope

2.4.1. Geography

This project focused on issues within the boundaries of the Halifax Regional Municipality based on the geography covered by the five Metro Region Learning Networks in the Community Learning Initiative:

• Bedford – Sackville
• Dartmouth
• Eastern Shore and Musquodoboit Valley
• Halifax
• Western Region – Tantallon / Hubbards

2.4.2. Target Group

The target group for the study was adult learners with disabilities engaged in literacy training programs. The project considered issues related only to youth and adult learners with disabilities based on the HRDC definition of 'youth' from the ages of 15 to 30.

Disability categories included those identified in the Canadian Association for Independent Living Centre's study and several added by the project stakeholders:

• Physical
• Blind / Visually impaired
• Deaf / Hearing loss
• Intellectual
• Learning
• Mental health considerations
• Brain Injured
• Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder
• Multiple including blind & deaf