Andres--

A 100% fabulous example.  Boston has gone the way of DC,  still haven't 
really figured out the system, and I always want to cry in frustration. 
  I can envision the meltdown of people whose language isn't English 
when  confronting our health institutions.  Cambridge hospital has 
translators available in several languages, fortunately.. However, the 
buildings themselves are an additional puzzle.

Andrea

On Sep 18, 2007, at 11:50 AM, Muro, Andres wrote:


>

> Here is a little anecdote that I always share when I do health 

> literacy workshops.

>  

> I often travel to DC with colleagues to do workshops, attend 

> conferences, etc. Most of my colleagues have post graduate degrees. In 

> other words, we are on top of the food chain when it comes to 

> educational achievement. Upon descending from the plane we head to the 

> subway station were I always perform my “anthropological” observation 

> of contextual literacy practices. Many of my colleagues go into a 

> panic when they have to interact with the ticket purchasing and 

> dispensing machine. They don’t want to stand out. They don’t want to 

> hold the line and they don’t want to be left behind. In fact, it is 

> common for people traveling alone to get the much more expensive and 

> inconvenient taxis to avoid the “unfamiliar” literacy encounter.

>  

> Fortunately, subway stations have a person that helps travelers 

> interact with these machines and explain maps and routes. In fact, 

> these helpers prefer to give oral directions to passengers rather than 

> just refer them to the written instructions. See, while I doubt that 

> any of them studied anthropology, they have figured out that we are 

> still basically an oral society when it comes to getting directions. 

> Even the most literate people prefer oral instructions when it comes 

> to encounters with new forms of literacy. Once they master the 

> context, then they perform fine within the print realm.   

>  

> We don’t have to go to DC to experience this. Airplane tickets are now 

> dispensed by machines. Most grocery stores have electronic cash 

> registers. While most of us are proficient with these and realize that 

> they require basic literacy skills to operate, we can probably 

> remember our first encounters with this type of technology. 

> Businesses, like subway helpers know that we are still an oral society 

> and always have a person ready to verbally assist shoppers navigate 

> these literacy environments. Unfortunately, the much more 

> sophisticated medical establishment is catching on a little too late. 

> At Walmart the airport and the subway station, if you hesitate with 

> the literacy task, an aid shows up to assist you. Or, you have the 

> option to go through the human cash register.

>  

> If we, highly educated people have difficulty getting a subway ticket, 

> and reading a subway map, you can imagine what a less educated person 

> must feel when they have to navigate through insurance documents, 

> patient intake forms, medication information, etc.

>  

> Andres

>

> From: healthliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov 

> [mailto:healthliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Duffy

> Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 7:36 PM

> To: 'The Health and Literacy Discussion List'

> Subject: [HealthLiteracy 1206] Re: (no subject)

>  

> I study health literacy and teach it  --- but I never personally felt 

> what it must be like to be ‘illiterate’ until yesterday when I tried 

> to read a computer manual. I can only assume the parallels with health 

> literacy must be similar. Way too many assumptions were made by the 

> authors of the computer manual for it to have much meaning for me…. 

> And like much of the written materials we give to our patients to ‘go 

> home and read – it explains everything’  there was no one I could ask 

> questions of – no one I felt had the time or patience for my stupid 

> inquiries, so I just muddle through and hope for the best.

>  

> Literacy issues are not confined to health care --- I have a feeling 

> it is epidemic and contagious. English may be but one language that we 

> speak with many, very foreign words.

>  

> Barbara Duffy

>  

>

> From: healthliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov 

> [mailto:healthliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Kutner, Mark

> Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 12:06 PM

> To: The Health and Literacy Discussion List

> Subject: [HealthLiteracy 1198] (no subject)

>  

> Good morning all.  Cynthia Baur and I are very much looking forward to 

> answering any questions or issues that you might have related to the 

> health literacy component and report of the National Assessment of 

> Adult Literacy (NAAL).  Just as way of introduction, from 1999 through 

> last December I was the project director for the design, analysis, and 

> reporting component of NAAL.  In that role, I worked with Cynthia in 

> developing the health literacy component of NAAL.  The health literacy 

> items also had to be prose, document, and quantitative items so that 

> they could also be placed on the NAAL scale.  The health literacy 

> items were field tested before being included on the national study.  

> As we discuss the health literacy component, it is important to 

> remember that the NAAL was administered in the homes of individuals, 

> not in a doctor's office or emergency room.

>  

> In case folks are shy, I want to pose a couple of questions to all of 

> you: 

>  

> 1. As an individual who has been involved in adult literacy and 

> assessment for almost 20 years, I am curious to hear you perspectives 

> about the difference between measuring literacy and health literacy, 

> especially when the definition of health literacy (which we used from 

> HHS) does not indicate any prior substantive knowledge of 

> health-related issues (such as I take aspirin for headaches). 

>  

> 2. Also, NAAL highlights the challenges of improving health literacy 

> for adults whose first language is not English.  What evidence do we 

> have about successful approaches to ensure that the health literacy 

> for these adults improves?

>  

>  

> As we begin these discussions, I want to clearly acknowledge that 

> there would never have been a health literacy component of NAAL if it 

> was not for the hard work, perseverance,  stubbornness of Cynthia 

> Baur. For me, working with Cynthia on the health literacy component 

> has been a real joy.  The field is quite fortunate to be able to 

> benefit from her leadership!.

>  

> ----------------------------------------------------

> National Institute for Literacy

> Health and Literacy mailing list

> HealthLiteracy at nifl.gov

> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 

> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/healthliteracy

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