LATCH-ON Literacy Program

North Island College launched LATCH-ON Literacy this past September, a literacy program developed specifically for young adults with intellectual disabilities, including Down Syndrome.

LATCH-ON, which stands for Literacy and Technology Hands-On, was initiated in 1998 at the University of Queensland in Australia by Dr. Anne Jobling, a Down Syndrome researcher, with the help of Dr. Karen Moni, a lecturer in English curriculum and literacy education. LATCH-ON was developed with a socio-cultural approach to literacy that uses a combination of technology and more traditional methods of instruction to enhance literacy development.

The program’s objectives include providing opportunities for young adults with intellectual disabilities to continue their literacy development in a post-secondary environment, using computer technology to enhance literacy, and enhancing self-concept and life opportunities (work placement) through the expected positive outcomes of improved literacy development.

North Island College welcomed both Dr. Jobling and Dr. Moni in late August where they provided a week-long intensive training session for NIC instructors, as well as for project partners from the Down Syndrome Research Foundation in Burnaby. It is expected that the program will reach up to 30 students from the North Island region during its two-year trial, 10 at each of the regional campuses located at Campbell River, Comox Valley and Port Alberni.

“This is the first time the LATCH-ON program has been offered in Canada, and we are extremely pleased that North Island College was selected as the pilot site,” says program coordinator, Sheila Doncaster, who also serves as the Chair of the Department of Access for Students with Disabilities.

Funded by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development, LATCH-ON is a joint project of North Island College and the Down Syndrome Research Foundation. For further information about the LATCH-ON program, please contact Sheila Doncaster at (250) 334-5079 or sheila.doncaster@nic.bc.ca.

Follow-up study to the International Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (IALLS)

The Daily (Wednesday January 9, 2008)
Statistics Canada
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/080109/d080109a.htm

International Survey of Reading Skills
2005

Canada has very few people who exhibit a really limited capacity in reading skills, according to a new follow-up study to an international literacy survey.

The study suggests that the approach to improving reading levels for people with the lowest proficiency will likely have to vary from individual to individual. That is because their specific reading skills differ widely and thus, the teaching methods will vary according to learners' needs.

The study was based on results from the International Study of Reading Skills (ISRS), conducted in 2005. It was a follow-up survey of the Canadian component of the 2003 International Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (IALLS) that measured literacy skills among individuals aged 16 to 65 in Canada and six other countries.

The ISRS reassessed about 2,000 Canadians from all literacy level but focused on those whose literacy scores in the IALSS fell into levels 1 or 2, the lowest of five. Level 3 is considered the desired threshold needed by adults to participate fully in the knowledge economy.

The purpose of the ISRS was to describe in greater detail the reading abilities of the least-skilled adult readers in society to better understand their instructional needs.

The 2003 international survey found that about 9 million Canadians aged 16 to 65, or 42% of the working-age population, scored below Level 3 on the prose literacy scale. This proportion had not changed since 1994.

Differences in literacy performance between individuals and regional economies are a concern for Canada because they constrain our ability to compete with nations in which the level of literacy skill is rising rapidly.

Continued at: http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/080109/d080109a.htm

Grass Roots Press Reader-friendly Health Titles

Edmonton-based Grass Roots Press offers reader-friendly books and videos on health as well a broad selection of titles to support literacy education. Topics in the new 2008 catalogue include easy readers, chapter books, aboriginal resources, health, workbooks, numeracy and science, software, tutor training, reading and writing instruction, assessment, ESL, communication skills, family literacy, women and literacy, employment and workplace literacy, community education and development, and volunteer appreciation. Visit the website for information.