From the Editor: If you can read this, be thankful

I was volunteering in the free book room at the DSHS office when a young woman walked in and boldly announced, “I have learning problems and can barely read and I don’t want my little girl to suffer the way I have. What should I do?”

She told me her child was just 18 months old, so I led her to the box of picture books for toddlers. “Board books have pictures that explain the words, or have just one word per page. You could read these to your baby and practice while she learns too. Meantime, let’s see about getting you into a literacy program to help you with reading. Here’s the number to call.”

I handed her information about Eastside Literacy, which sponsors the free book room at the DSHS office. I circled the phone number, and told her they help hundreds of people to read every year. Then we chatted about her learning disability and the struggles she’d had in school and in her adult life because she couldn’t read.

“I’m so glad you asked for help. Now that you have a child, you know how important it is that you make this call,” I said. Thank goodness this young woman’s love for her child gave her the courage to come out of hiding and admit she couldn’t read.

Help is available to those who ask. Over 44 million Americans are functionally illiterate. They cannot write a letter, read a bus schedule, order from a menu, or read a bedtime story to their children.

Many functionally illiterate people have average or above average intelligence but also have learning disabilities that make reading difficult. Most functionally illiterate people hide their disability until something happens to bring out the truth, like this woman’s realization that if she didn’t do something, her daughter would suffer.

What a loss that is—to not be able to model reading for your child. Children who aren’t read to, and who grow up in families where reading is not a priority, may struggle with reading themselves when they get to school. Thus the cycle of illiteracy continues—unless a miracle happens.

Several miracles, really. First, the functionally illiterate person has to admit that he or she has a disability but still wants to learn to read. Then, the compassionate and confidential support has to be available from the community to help that person overcome the various obstacles to literacy—obstacles such as fear of failure, lack of financial resources, or finding the right tutor and method to address specific learning disabilities.

Eastside Literacy knows about such miracles. Eastside Literacy is one of many services provided by Hopelink, the Eastside’s umbrella non-profit organization that serves the homeless and families in transition, providing assistance with food, shelter, child development, family life, and transportation, in addition to adult literacy programs. Not only does Eastside Literacy provide one-to-one reading tutoring, but also offers English as a Second Language classes for those new to our country, and other “survival skills” classes for adults.

To contact Eastside Literacy, call 425-643-1912 or visit their website.

Another good resource for those who want to find a literacy or adult learning program in their area is the Literacy Connections website. On this site you’ll find connections to local independent literacy and adult education programs and links to public programs offered by libraries.

If a person can’t read, he or she can’t access this information for themselves, so if you know someone who needs this kind of assistance, please help by providing the information and support they’ll need to make the first call. If you want to become a literacy volunteer, contact one of the above organizations, or go directly to your public library and inquire about tutoring opportunities.

November is National Literacy month, and also the month that Northwest Baby & Child focuses on sharing the arts with your children. When you snuggle up with your child and read a bedtime story, give thanks that you are able to share this wonderful gift of reading and literacy. You are opening up the world to your child, and you are part of a miracle.