RE: Commnicating with an audience of low literacy levels

[Peter Gold <peter -at- knowhowpro -dot- com>]

Gene Kim-Eng wrote:

> Not surprisingly, reading levels tend to be low among
> prison inmates as a group.  There is a direct correlation
> between low literacy and violence.  

There is a high correlation between undiagnosed and untreated 
learning disabilities in young students and frustration in 
school and work that often leads to behavior that results in 
imprisonment, as juveniles and adults. The rich teaching 
methods, approaches, and techniques that work effectively for 
those with learning disabilities are equally effective for 
"normal" students.

> Any time anybody has
> spare books after their garage sale (or before), the
> nearest prison will gladly accept them as a donation.
> Spare time spent with inmates as a Literacy Volunteer can
> improve a life and make society better.

Yes, but informed proactive policies and well-funded training 
for teachers and administrators in elementary, middle, and 
high schools can help to reduce the acts that lead to 
imprisonment, for less cost, and with better outcomes for 
everyone.

> 
> Also not surprisingly, income tends to follow the reading
> level curve.

This is another view of the same issues - remediating learning 
disabilities early on enables better success in school and 
later life. The right early start is all-around better than 
too-late fixups.

> One last thought -- a low reading level often has no
> connection to a person's intelligence,

Correct! Learning disabilities are not about intelligence. Low 
literacy in populations is less likely a result of low 
intelligence, and more likely a result of undiagnosed and 
untreated learning disabilities.

> and many non-readers
> are very sensitive about this.

"Smart But Feeling Dumb," is a book about coping with the 
frustrations of having dyslexia and related learning 
disabilities, whose title sums this up concisely.

Writing at an accessible reading level doesn't mean 
dumbing-down the content; it means writing the material as 
accessibly as possible for the intended audiences.

Regards,

Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices
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