Illiteracy is more common than many people realize. Sadly, although our young people are very tech-savvy, the level of traditional literacy continues to drop. Yet the need for traditional literacy (reading and writing) is still vital. People of all ages experience all levels of illiteracy. Any reading difficulty affects learning and production. A worker who cannot read must have help in understanding how to perform the operations needed for their job. Their prospects for better jobs are limited by their reading ability.
People with low literacy have developed ways to cover their deficiency: "I forgot my glasses." "I need to talk this over with my spouse." "I will take it home and think about this." Why do they do this? They were made to feel ashamed by other students even at an early age. Sadly, even some educators do not handle students with reading problems with understanding.
Many avoid trying to find help especially after adulthood. I say "hooray" to those who do. It may take patience and trial and error to find the right method to reach them, but it's worth it to them and to their tutors!
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