Literacy News

An unusual gift provided the unofficial theme for LVA's 8th annual Learner-Tutor Recognition Ceremony. 

Rita Daniels, LVA's executive director, passed out "Morning Glory" seeds to tutors present at the ceremony held on Monday, April 30 at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. 

"This is a thank you for planting the seeds of literacy," Ms. Daniels told the tutors, learners, and LVA staff, instructors, and supporters. 

Ms. Daniels explained that LVA's tutors are serving as a"lifeline" by their helping learners move on to "another point, another step, another goal."

That LVA tutors and instructors are succeeding became clear when adult learners were receiving their recognition. (A complete list of learners who received recognition is at the end of this post.)

No doubt about the importance of LVA in the lives of learners was left by Ms. Geraldine Green, a learner and that night's Graduate Speaker. 

"Without this program, I would not be standing before you today. Before enrolling with LVA. I could not read, spell, or even count money. I could not even read to my child. She would ask me to read bedtime stories to her but I would always give her excuses. Now,  I can read. I can spell and I just love picking up books." 

Ms. Green's success has enabled her to enroll with LVA's sister organization, the Academy of Hope, and she is now seeking her GED. She hopes to become a caterer. If Ms. Green achieves that goal, she would like to own her own company one day.    

 

Ms. Green wants to move up in life, but she was adamant about her interest in reaching back to help others in need. "I know what it's like to be hungry. I was once homeless so I want my business to help others just as I was helped when I needed it." 

"I am more independent now that I can read," Ms. Green emphasizes.  "I used to get help from people all the time. Now I go places on my own, read signs, read menus at restaurants (the ones without pictures), fill out forms at the doctor's office, read prescriptions, and fill out job applications." 

"I am 48 years old and I have accomplished more at LVA than I have in my entire life." 

Heyward Riley, Jr. 

Bernice Johnson

Charles Bowden

Shirley Ashley

Reginald Banks

Agnes Cassell

Eric Hall

Mary Payton

Curtis McCrary

Amber Meyer

Pearlena Rogers

Kimberly Velvet

William West

Dale Williams

Shatavia Young

 

Reginald Banks

McKinley Evans

Brenda Fortune

Bakari Halidi

Henry Linton

Heyward Riley, Jr. 

Neil Waldron

Mae Johnson

Ozella Stokes

Pearlena Rogers

Reginald Banks

Amber Meyer

Neil Waldron

 Curtis McCrary

Marguerita Bey

Shantay Washington

Shirley Ashley

Reginald Banks

Kwame Blakney

Charles Bowden

Agnes Cassell

Tyrone Fields

Brenda Fortune

Bakari Halidi

Henry Linton

Amber Meyer

Pearlena Rogers

Neil Waldron

Nancy West

William West

Donnell Williams

Cromwell Wilson

Reginald Banks

Brenda Fortune

Neil Waldron

Samuel Lamorell

That is the night when LVA holds its Learner Recognition Ceremony at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library starting at 6 PM. 

LVA will recognize the common effort put forth by learners, volunteer tutors, instructors, and staff who are all striving to make DC a more literate city. 

Julia Michelle Johnson, State Director, Adult and Family Education at the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, will extend greetings to LVA.

Thousands upon thousands of hours have been spent by tutors and teachers during the past year trying to teach people to read better. Learners, for their part, have expended great effort trying to sharpen their reading skills so they can lead better, more independent, more fulfilling lives. 

"This is a great time for adult learners to share their stories," asserts LVA Director Rita Daniels. "Adult learners will be celebrated for all of their successes, no matter how large or how small. 

It may not appear to be a big accomplishment for someone to learn phonics so they can correctly pronounce a word as simple as "busy." Most DC residents take their ability to say such a word for granted. Not so, when you have a learning disability or had been shunted off to the "slow" section by a school system ill-equipped to taach struggling readers how to read. 

Anyone interested in attending the Learner Recognition Ceremony can RSVP at info@lvanca.org

Where

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library

901 G Street, NW

Level A5

Washington, DC 20001

The Martin Luther King, Jr, Memorial Library is located near the Gallery Place (Green/Yellow/Red lines) and the Metro Center (Red/Orange/Blue) Metro stops. 

When

Monday, April 30

6 PM - 8 PM  

They grow up and become adults with LD. That's why Rita Daniels, executive director of LVA, asserted at a recent workshop conducted at the Martin Luther King, Jr, Memorial Library,  "We need to start talking more about LD."

What sounds as if it is common sense is just not recognized by enough policymakers in the DC area, sometimes even by altruistic tutors who fail to realize why their learners fail to read and perform mathematics calculations at higher levels. 

More often than not, students diagnosed with LD, particularly older adults, received less than effective instruction in school to help them compensate for their disabilities. Sadly, in DC, where the public school system is only waking up to the need to better help students with disabilities, generations of former DCPS students are struggling to survive with very limited reading and math skills while being forced to compete in an increasingly demanding job market. 

The website of the Learning Disabilities Association of America includes a paper posted in 2001, which cites statistics from the U.S. Department of Education makes clear the seriousness of LD. Twenty percent of Americans are functionally illiterate. Three out of every four unemployed persons lack the skills needed to succeed in the American workplace.

Helping adults with LD is personal to Daniels, who relates the story of her grandmother who lived in rural North Carolina and who could perform mathematics well enough to keep the books for a business but who was unable to read or write at all. Odds are that Ms. Daniels' grandmother had LD. 

Many of the learners LVA tutors work with  have LD. But what are learning disabilities?

Learning disabilities are defined as "a general term that refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning or mathematical abilities."

Practically everyone has heard the term "dyslexia" which refers to difficulties in processing language and which can manifest itself in specific problems with writing,  spelling, and reading.

Ms. Daniels distributed a chart listing six specific disabilities, most of which are not known as well as dyslexia. They include dysgraphia (problems with handwriting, spelling, and organizing ideas), dyscalculia (problems with performing math exercises, understanding time, or using money), dyspraxia (problems with hand-eye coordination, balance, and manual dexterity), 

visual processing disorders (difficulties processing visual information such as maps, charts, and symbols), and auditory processing disorders. 

The last is extremely important for literacy in that it manifests itself in difficulty processing sounds. Given the importance of phonics to correctly pronouncing and understanding words, a learner with an auditory processing disorder could very well have problems with reading comprehension and correct language usage. 

LVA staff can help tutors if they suspect a learner has a LD. Diagnosis can only be performed by certified professionals with backgrounds in fields such as educational psychology or neurological psychology. But tutors should be aware of what problems to look for in their learners. 

Some key points to remember when working with adults who have diagnosed or undiagnosed LD:

1. Adult learners have a need to be self-directing or self-autonomous. 

2. Adult learners want to be able to attach more meaning to the learning they gain from experience rather than the information they obtain passively. 

3. Adult learners should receive lessons that relate to their daily lives as much as possible. 

4. Adult learners want to apply what they learn today to living more effectively tomorrow. 

5. Adult learners need to be respected by their tutors. 

LVA tutors need to recognize that they can only do so much for their learners, particularly if they are diagnosed by a professional as having LD. 

When it comes to employment for learners diagnosed by a professional as having LD, tutors can work hard to sharpen the skills of their learners. But they should also be aware that DC's Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) can provide valuable assistance because its mission is "to operate a comprehensive, coordinated, effective, efficient, and accountable program designed to...provide vocational rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities." 

Daniels distributed a list of resources and national organizations that can provide guidance on how to help individuals with LD. LVA's staff can also provide counsel. A copy of the Power Point presentation Ms. Daniels used in her presentation is available upon request. Tutors can e-mail info@lvanca.org or call (202) 387-1772 to request a copy.