ORANGE COUNTY VOICES LITERACY : For Most, Illiteracy Remains Hidden

“The most important thing I learned was that I’m not stupid!”

These words were written by an Orange County resident who, at that time, had been in literacy classes for 1 1/2 years. She had always wanted to learn to read, but it was not until she was 40 years old that she got the courage to do something about it.

While watching the movie “Bluffing It,” she was reminded of herself. She had been bluffing it for 30 years. It was a handicap in everything she did. It stopped her from going places, ordering in restaurants, reading her Bible, personal letters, everything.

She tried public adult education, but because of the large class sizes, it didn’t work for her. Then she began attending volunteer classes offered by the Central Orange County Literacy Council and, for the first time in her life, was learning to read and write. She is now a nurse’s aide.

The story of this Orange County woman has a happy ending, but not all Orange County’s illiterates are so fortunate. It is conservatively estimated that of the more than 2.2 million people in Orange County, more than 100,000 adults are functionally illiterate.

There are many different definitions of illiteracy. Is it a total inability to read or write anything? Is it less than a fifth-grade reading level? Is it less than an eighth-grade reading level?

When an individual’s reading and writing abilities are inadequate for him to function competently in today’s print-oriented world, that individual is, for all practical purposes, functionally illiterate.

The literacy requirements for today’s high-tech civilization are well above those of even a few decades ago. Many people with formerly adequate skills are in a precarious position.

The problem remains hidden for most. Would you willingly admit to your best friend--never mind your boss--that you can’t do a particular job of paper work because you can’t read well enough? The stigma is too great.

Most illiterates’ ways of hiding their problems serve them fairly well up to a point. But what if they are offered a promotion involving more reading and writing than they can handle? They are likely to find an excuse not to take it or quit rather than reveal their “terrible secret.”

Why can’t these people read and write? Why didn’t they learn as children as the rest of us did?

Some children have trouble learning by the methods used in many schools. They don’t qualify for special help, and many classrooms are overcrowded. Some children have undiagnosed hearing and vision problems. Because of difficulty at home, some children do not learn. Some families move a great deal, and an elementary school child can lose six months with each school change. Children of migrant workers are especially hard hit. Some had illiterate parents who passed on their indifference to the value of learning to their children.

Illiterate people come from a variety of social and educational backgrounds. Some are economically secure and often have high school diplomas. Some are regularly employed without diplomas and with low basic skills. Others are irregularly employed with almost no marketable skills. As many as 80% of all juveniles who appear in court are functionally illiterate, as are more than 65% of incarcerated adults.

How can you recognize people who are low-level or non-readers? Their methods of hiding their problem can be ingenious. They become very adept at memorizing. Some excuses they use are: “I’ll have my wife look at the form.” “I left my glasses at home.” “I don’t have time to help my children with homework.” “I don’t have time to read this form now.” “My handwriting is bad.”

When referring a friend or acquaintance to a literacy class, focus on the opportunity to improve his reading and writing, not to learn to read or write. I would suggest you call the Central Orange County Literacy Center first to verify hours, days and location before approaching the subject.

Be sensitive to the feelings of these low-level or non-reading individuals. Treat the situation matter-of-factly and openly with a positive and supportive attitude.