Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 2, 1992 TAG: 9201030320
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By RANDY WALKER SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
ATTACKING ILLITERACY
A delivery truck stopped in front of Alan Brittle's house. The driver handed Brittle a piece of paper and asked, "Can you tell me how to get here?"Brittle couldn't understand why help was needed; the directions were clearly written. Brittle just read him the directions and handed back the paper.
Only after the truck pulled away did Brittle realize what was wrong. The driver was illiterate, unable to read street signs.
"I hadn't helped him one bit," Brittle said. "That's when it got me, when I figured I had to do more."
Today, Brittle is executive director of the Roanoke Valley chapter of Literacy Volunteers of America. The organization addresses a problem that affects up to 30,000 adults in the Roanoke Valley, according to the state Department of Education.
To those who take reading as a matter of course, the idea of navigating life without being able to read a phone book or job application is astonishing. Yet illiteracy affects one out of five adult Virginians, young and old, black and white, office workers and blue-collar laborers.
Why do people fail to develop reading skills? Intelligence has nothing to do with it, according to Brittle.
Sometimes the school system is to blame; in other cases, the home environment discourages reading. Some non-readers come from families which have been illiterate for generations.
Regardless of the cause, illiteracy is difficult to overcome or even acknowledge. Some people are ashamed to tell even their closest relatives. Others fear for their jobs.
"Some people are in good jobs, and the employer doesn't know they can't read," Brittle said.
For those reasons, the association's service is confidential.
The process begins when an illiterate person calls for help. Most of them learn about the association through word of mouth. Because motivation is essential, it does not take third-party referrals.
The first step is a reading-skills evaluation. Some individuals have rudimentary reading skills; others start from scratch. "We have some who began at 40 years old not even knowing the alphabet," Brittle said.
After taking the evaluation, the learner is assigned a tutor. The association has 180 volunteer tutors. To become a tutor, you must take 18 hours of training and pay a $20 materials fee.
The tutor calls the learner and arranges a meeting, usually at a church, school or library. The tutor and learner typically meet once a week. Instruction is geared to the learner's individual needs and goals.
Learners are asked to commit to at least a year of study. "We tell adults it's hard work, but if you want to do it, we've got a program that's guaranteed to work," Brittle said.
The study program was developed by the national Literacy Volunteers Association, which was was founded in Syracuse, N.Y., about 30 years ago.
The Roanoke Valley chapter was founded in 1985 by librarians Sarah Rubush and Ruth Lipnik. Brittle, a former member of the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors, was the first president of the Roanoke chapter. He became the executive director in September and is the only full-time paid employee. There are two paid part-timers.
The organization's operating budget is less than $50,000 a year. Private contributions account for about 80 percent of the budget; the association also receives some federal money. The group is under consideration for 1992 United Way funding.
Contributions allow it to provide tutoring services free of charge. More than 600 individuals, many of them low-income, have received free assistance since the Roanoke chapter was started.
Brittle views literacy tutoring as an inexpensive way to address a wide variety of social ills. Six out of 10 prison inmates can't read; illiterate prisoners have an 80 percent chance of becoming repeat offenders.
Among the unemployed, 75 percent can't read well enough to hold down a menial job.
Brittle thinks even teen pregnancy may partially be due to illiteracy. Some teens can't read the directions on a package of condoms.
The chance to change someone's life for the better is what motivates volunteers, Brittle said. "That's what we tell our tutors: You really can make a difference.
If you would like to make a contribution or volunteer as a tutor, call Literacy Volunteer of America at 342-1624.