Introduction

Community Agencies and Literacy

Community agencies provide social, economic and moral support to people who are trying to deal with poverty or who have needs for housing and food or medical and legal assistance. For some of the people who use your agency's services, an inability to read and write well, or at all, may be a factor contributing to the social and economic dis advantages they face. You can ensure that literacy barriers do not keep people from using your services. You can also form an essential link between literacy upgrading programs and many of the people who could benefit from them.

A low level of literacy is a major problem for many Canadians. In this information- centred age, an inability to read and write can keep people from many of the benefits and privileges of citizenship and economic progress. In the process of empowering individuals, community agencies can help Canadians improve their literacy skills. You can be part of the literacy solution.

There are important roles for community agencies in promoting literacy. Many of the people whose literacy skills are weakest use the services of community agencies. Low literacy may be one of the reasons why people cannot find work, for example, and need social assistance. Poor reading skills can keep some people from having the money or the awareness to buy and prepare healthy food or to use medicine properly. Also, poor nutrition or health habits can mean that people have a greater need for health services.

Many community agencies which have no direct link to literacy recognize that it is an important part of much of their work. Some recognize that their mandate to contribute to the health and wellbeing of individuals involves a commitment to meeting people's literacy needs. The mission of the YMCA Canada, for example, states:

The YMCA is a world-wide fellowship dedicated to the growth of persons in spirit, mind and body, and in a sense of responsibility to each other and the human community.

This philosophy is reflected in the work of YMCAs across the country. They see literacy as an essential part of their mandate and are committed to being sensitive to people's literacy skill levels in the way they deliver their programs.

A commitment to literacy can bolster the missions and mandates of community agencies by enhancing personal empowerment and independence. Your agency has a dual role in literacy. It can provide a link between literacy programs and the people you serve who could benefit from them. You can also make sure that your agency doesn't keep low literate people from using your services by putting difficult literacy demands in their way.

We're Happy to Help Out

No one promotes illiteracy. Most of us believe that people who want to understand books, charts, forms, pamphlets and posters should be helped to make sense of the words, numbers and ideas around them. If we know or suspect that people cannot read or write, we gladly read them the letters they need to have read, fill in forms for them, tell them where Surrey Street or City Hall is. We want all Canadians to be able to use the services they want, buy the things they need and vote for the people they believe will best represent their interests. Many of us are generous with our time and lend our skills to others.

However, doing literacy tasks for people who cannot read or write only helps them for a moment. When they next need to fill in a form or read a letter, they may not be able to find someone to lend a hand. Sometimes, by helping out, we become part of the problem. We leave a person no better able to handle the literacy challenges they come across every day. As well, we waste a chance to support the person in making a major life change — becoming literate.

The Wall of Words

It's easy to be in favour of literacy and against illiteracy. But there is a larger problem that isn't covered by our concern about illiteracy. Low literacy is harder to recognize and so it is easy to ignore. Poor reading and writing skills can limit people's lives in almost as many ways as illiteracy. People who can read and write only basic things may not be able to understand your organization's application, registration or information forms. With their limited reading skills, they may not know what you mean when you write about “health practitioners” or “violation of parole,” “basic nutritional requirements” or “emergency overnight accommodation.” If you use technical terms in your forms and other documents, people may need a high level of literacy to use your organization's services.

Community agencies, schools, governments, hospitals, professionals and others can lead the way to simpler, more straightforward, easier-to-read forms, pamphlets and documents. You can use language in ways that people with poor literacy skills can understand and that all of us can be more comfortable with. Fancy words, complicated forms and confusing procedures may slow us down, but these things can actually keep people with low literacy skills from using certain services or doing some tasks.

With a limited ability to read, people can get by. They can find the bus they take to work every day, get someone to help them figure out the symbols on the machines they have to use, have a friend read their job instructions to them and learn to recognize the words they need to know to get their jobs done. When someone asks them to read a memo, they may say they've forgotten their glasses. If they are asked to take notes at a meeting, they may say that their handwriting is terrible and ask if someone else could do that job.

When they come into your offices, people with low literacy skills may say they don't have time to fill in your form. They may ask if they can bring it back tomorrow, then ask a friend to complete it for them. If they can't find a friend that they can trust with their secret of poor reading and writing skills, they may just never come back. They are the people who don't seem to bother following up.

We can all take responsibility for the difficulties some people face when they try to use the services of community organizations. But there are many things that can be done to keep them from walking out without the information or help they need. Your forms can be made simple to read and easy to fill out. Employees who greet people can offer help in completing forms. Videotapes in reception areas can let people know how the agency works and that counsellors are available to assist them with their forms.

Your organization's literacy demands may put up a wall that keeps out people with low literacy skills. This book is about taking down that wall of words. The ideas, processes and procedures suggested in this handbook can help you make your organization more accessible to people with low or no literacy skills. They may even make your work easier by taking the mystery out of your forms, pamphlets or programs.

If the people who use your services can understand your information and procedures a little bit better, they will call on your staff and volunteers less often for help. There will be fewer mistakes on forms and people will have a better idea of what you can and cannot do for them. Choose any of the ideas and suggestions in the pages that follow that might make your life and the lives of the people you serve a little bit easier.