Fear and Embarrassment – focus group participants
spoke to their lack of confidence and their embarrassment about their reading
capability, often preventing them from seeking clarification from an instructor or a tutor.
One individual indicated that she was 'scared people would think she is
stupid' so rather than ask for help, she saved her questions for her family. Another
indicated that her new tutor is 'good at
knowing when she does not understand' and gives her the necessary assistance
without the learner having to ask for it.
Fear and embarrassment are the root of the confidence issue identified
clearly as the number one barrier by respondents to our survey. The lack
of confidence subsequently leads to learners avoiding any learning risk.
Personal Motivation – students with learning difficulties, attention deficit
disorder, brain
injuries, mental health or intellectual challenges often learn slowly. The process is lengthy and
requires a significant amount of perseverance. The pursuit of a high school diploma can be a long and
tedious process or may not be attainable at all. These students must be extremely self motivated to
achieve their goals. Sixty percent of respondents to our surveys believed that adult students with
disabilities generally do not achieve their goals.
Personal Priorities – for persons with disabilities, literacy may be low in their
hierarchy of needs. Many adults find coping mechanisms which allow them to function adequately within
their communities. Particularly if previous education experiences have been negative, they will not
pursue literacy training as a priority in their lives.
Value of Literacy – Lack of understanding of the relationship between literacy
skills and goal attainment whether the goals are employment, social or personal
can certainly be a demotivator. This is particularly true where there have
been negative experiences with education in the past.
6.1.3. Social Issues
Attitudes – There are systemic barriers generally
for persons with low literacy skills, including social and employment barriers.
The barriers are more complex for persons with
disabilities, in part due to the attitudes held by our society about their capabilities
and in part because many of the literacy programs do not have adequate resources
to cater to their special needs. The issue of attitude appears to be systemic
in both the minds of
able bodied persons and persons with disabilities. One person interviewed
captured the attitudinal problem like this – "We should be asking what
a person with a disability would like to accomplish rather than dictating
what is available to him/her".
Attitudinal barriers include both those on the part of learners with
a disability because they believe they have no right to pursue literacy;
and on the part of the family who are fearful of the change it will bring to the learner.