Separating the Facts and Fiction About Adults Who Cannot Read

In 1988, a woman named Christine Calcinari read a story about a circuit judge who barely could read a book. But this judge was the real face of illiteracy.

Full of potential--but hiding a secret because of a stigma. Calcinari realized that if the judge read on a fourth-grade level, and she on an eighth, there was little to be ashamed of. She was assessed through the Orange County Public Library’s READ/Orange County, the county’s largest literacy program.

Diagnostic tools identified what stood between her and the printed word. This was the real face of illiteracy. Not a mystery, but a challenge to be met.

With help from volunteer tutors, Calcinari began learning to read. Her tutors tried several methods, until they settled on one called the Wilson Reading System, a system specifically for people with dyslexia.

She did learn, receiving tutoring regularly for a year, then taking a break, then another year, for several years, finishing up in November. Along the way, Calcinari became active in the literacy movement, first on a local level with the Huntington Beach Literacy Volunteers of America board, then in Newport Beach on that board. In the early 1990s, she was the first adult literacy student to become an officer on the board of directors of the National Literacy Volunteers of America.

This became the model for the new face of literacy--learners going on to help others learn. In addition to her volunteer work, Christine has started her own full-time business, selling furniture and office supplies.

Now, Calcinari is so successful that she’s expanding the enterprise, adding a showroom, developing business partners. She’s paying taxes, creating wealth and is eager to hire others.

Take a look at some of the myths about illiteracy:

* Myth: It’s an urban, not suburban problem. The reality is that in Orange County alone, there are 350,000 to 400,000 functionally illiterate adults. These adults are in every corner: North, Central and South County. Special literacy centers are in libraries in San Juan Capistrano, Rancho Santa Margarita, Aliso Viejo, Tustin, Garden Grove, La Habra and elsewhere.

* Myth: It’s a problem that comes only in one color. Literacy students are 36% white, 21% Asian, and 21% Latino. Half are women. Literacy is a matter of black and white: The color of words.

* Myth: Everyone’s in favor of literacy, so programs are well-funded and there are plenty of tutors. Right now, the number of people signed up as learners in Orange County has exceeded the number of tutors. There’s a tremendous need for new tutors able to provide instruction a couple of times each week on a one-to-one basis or in small groups. (Volunteers may call [714] 566-3070 for more information.) There’s also a tremendous need for financial support from the private sector and the rest of the community to support the tutoring programs, which are free to learners.

* Myth: Anyone can teach someone to read. Anyone who possesses the characteristics that successful tutors have: They can speak, read and write English; they are compassionate, understanding and sensitive to the needs of learners; they’re willing to be trained and are open-minded to accepting new teaching methods. Training is available through the county’s largest literacy program. That training has resulted in more than 80,000 hours of tutoring in the last seven years. Mothers, fathers, lawyers, techies, Trekkies and hundreds of others in Orange County have completed the weekend training sessions and become successful tutors.

* Myth: Learning to read is a goal, and when it is completed, that equals success. Actually, for many people, learning to read is merely a means to an end. Many people want to read so they can accomplish other goals. We’ve seen people learn to read in order to check out their first library book. Others have learned to read so that they could vote for the first time. Still others have set out to balance their checkbooks, enroll in community college, teach Sunday school. One person was able to finally read a fortune cookie.

Modern literacy programs use a one-size-doesn’t-fit-all approach. Tutoring differs based on whether students have dyslexia, difficulties discriminating various sounds, or other challenges. Tutoring is working in libraries, in hospitals, in churches and synagogues, and in jails.

It certainly has worked for people like Christine Calcinari. She’s the real face of literacy, just like the judge who inspired her.