My family loves to read. My husband reads classic novels and mysteries for relaxation. Our son reads history and sci-fi fantasy with a passion. I like to read history as well as non-fiction about culture and life around the globe. I simply cannot imagine a life without reading. Yet, “a national survey found that 43% of U.S. adults (an estimated 56 million people) do not possess the necessary literacy skills to fully participate in contemporary society” (Mellard, 2013, p. 13).
Did you catch that phrase, “to fully participate”?
Literacy is vital to inclusion. In fact, five research-based reasons for continuing literacy instruction among adolescent and young adult students with special needs are:
Ms. Woods manages communications and product development for SWIFT Education Center in the Life Span Institute at the University of Kansas.
- Literacy can increase social interactions, leading to a greater sense of belonging (Forts & Luckasson, 2011)
- Literacy facilitates knowledge about healthy choices for physical well-being (Taggart & McKendry, 2009)
- Literacy creates access to recreation and leisure activities (van Kraayenoord, 1994)
- Literacy opens up opportunities for more education and employment, which can lead to economic stability (deFur & Runnells, 2014)
- Literacy empowers active citizen participation in the democratic process (deFur & Runnells, 2014)
