• The learning model, incorporated in the Inroads Program developed by the Brain Injury Association addresses issues such as retention of learning due to poor memory and difficulty sustaining attention. They incorporate practices and techniques to assist the student such as regular breaks, frequent repetition and written back up to oral instructions. Interestingly, these same techniques are required to assist students with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder and may be helpful in assisting learners with physical disabilities, especially those who have little formal education and have been out of a learning environment for a long time.
• Face–to–face time – 55% (141 / 258 organizations) of respondents to the survey carried out by the Nova Scotia Provincial Literacy Coalition provide 10 or fewer hours of active teaching time per week¹⁵. This suggests that the learner must be self motivated to complete homework assignments or continue the learning process throughout the remaining period.
• During the focus group conducted with learners, several participants indicated that more reading / contact time with their tutor would be beneficial. In particular, students seemed to value the one–on–one time with a tutor. They also indicated that their embarrassment is alleviated as they get to know their instructor or tutor, allowing them to feel more comfortable about asking questions.
• Distance Education – There are few distance literacy education programs offered in HRM. Of 265 respondents to the Nova Scotia Provincial Literacy Coalition Survey, province–wide survey, 22 indicated that they offer distance education. Lack of opportunity for clients to pursue their literacy goals from their own homes through the use of computers and online learning is a particularly important issue for those with transportation restrictions or barriers. However, where a learner might be motivated to access such a program, a significant amount of advocacy work is often required to secure a computer through government funding sources.
• It should be noted that distance education is an inappropriate model for levels 1 and 2, where students tend to have a high dependency on instructors and tutors.

• Volunteer Resources / Tutors – Volunteers are the backbone of adult literacy programs in North America. Many literacy programs have a significant dependency on volunteer resources. A survey recently conducted by Literacy Volunteers of America found that almost 122,000 volunteers dedicated 8.4 million hours to working with 218,000 adult students.¹⁶

• In Nova Scotia as elsewhere, these volunteers make a significant difference in their students' lives. One focus group participant spoke about his life just four years ago as being one of depression and having a sense of hopelessness. He and others in the group described their tutors as patient, knowledgeable, resourceful and sensitive to their needs. His involvement with one of the literacy networks is described below in a speech he gave earlier this year at a literacy think–tank session:

¹⁵ http://www.ns.literacy.ca/results/
¹⁶ 2001-02 ProLiteracy America Annual Statistical Report, http://www.proliteracy.org/resources.asp