Return-Path: <root> Received: (from root@localhost) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) id f7VBrfI09791 for health-archive@nifl.gov; Fri, 31 Aug 2001 07:53:41 -0400 (EDT) Resent-Message-Id: <200108311153.f7VBrfI09791@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from mailhub.hitchcock.org (MAILHUB.HITCHCOCK.ORG [130.189.240.101]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with ESMTP id f39GTlg04948 for <nifl-health@nifl.gov>; Mon, 9 Apr 2001 12:29:47 -0400 (EDT) Received: from mailbox2.Hitchcock.ORG (MAILBOX2.HITCHCOCK.ORG [130.189.240.142]) by mailhub.hitchcock.org (8.9.3+DND/8.9.3) with ESMTP id MAA14462 for <nifl-health@nifl.gov>; Mon, 9 Apr 2001 12:29:46 -0400 (EDT) Message-id: <21443886@mailbox2.Hitchcock.ORG> Date: 09 Apr 2001 12:29:46 EDT From: Walter.F.Wallace@Hitchcock.ORG (Walter F. Wallace) Subject: Re: [NIFL-HEALTH:2991] Literacy and health collaborations To: nifl-health@nifl.gov Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by literacy.nifl.gov id f39GTlg04948 Resent-From: root@literacy.nifl.gov Resent-Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2001 07:53:40 -0400 Resent-To: health-archive@nifl.gov Status: O Content-Length: 2752 Lines: 41 Audrey, Unhappily, I don't believe new stats offer encouragement around ABE enrollments. During the economic high times of the past few years, enrollments have been flat or down. There has also been a "youthification" of ABE over the past 3 years -- more and more (often bright and articulate) 16, 17, and 18 year olds leaving high school, enrolling in ABE to find out how to get a GED, then moving on with their lives. Coupled with this has been, I fear, a move away from education to training. Under the terms of the Workforce Investment Act, federal funding of ABE is no longer focused on teaching adults basic reading, writing, and math skills as a base to develop the ability to think critically and analytically. The emphasis is now on training, which invloves acquisition of specific skills for specific purposes -- like how to get and keep a job after you reach end of time limits under TANF. There has been some exciting health literacy work done over the past few years in the context of ABE programs. But I fear the curriculum and kits so masterfully developed and archived are collecting dust in one too many ABE learning centers. Learning about healthy lifestyle or how to monitor the state of one's health just isn't as important as knowing how to put together a resume, keyboard at 40 wpm, or write clear, legibile phone messages. Walter Wallace Graduate Medical Education Office Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center walter.f.wallace@hitchcock.org --- You wrote: Barb Van Horn wrote: <<<I also notice that some health professionals have the impression that the adult basic and literacy education system has limited value because programs serve a small percentage of adults in need of literacy services -- and because it's perceived that adults attend these for very short periods of time. Therefore, why should health professionals bother working with them...>>> Barb, the statistics I've read indicate that only 8-10% of all eligible adults actually enroll in adult basic education (ABE) programs. And the statistics on completion are quite discouraging. I worked in ABE and literacy for many years but have been focusing mostly on health literacy since 1994. Are there new stats that show a more encouraging picture? I don't think we can convince health care providers that their impressions are wrong with the data I'm thinking of. Audrey Riffenburgh, MA President, Riffenburgh and Associates Specialists in Health Literacy and Plain Language 1606 Central SE Suite 201 Albuquerque, NM 87106 USA Phone: 505-242-5808 Fax: 505-246-9164 E-mail: plnenglish@aol.com "You can't do much about the length of your life, but you can do something about its depth and breadth." Evan Esar --- end of quote ---
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