Reading can include three letters – U.S.A.OC Register: March 12, 2010 by Teryl Zarnow
Claude Bonham is learning to read.
He moves his fingers across the words, stumbles at times, and jumps from the first letter of a word to guess at its end.
"To visit peoples?"
No, in the book it was "visiting places to eat."
Claude works intently with his tutor, Cherall Weiss, for almost two hours. "What happened on this page?" Cherall asks, working on comprehension. They review vocabulary flash cards and Claude writes them on the back.
Claude is 55 years old.
Claude knows what it means when you can't read.
He defines it by things he could not do – he couldn't pass the written driving test, or a written certification test at work, or fill out a medical form. He couldn't read a menu or balance his checkbook. He says he's tired of relying upon other people.
"People take advantage of you. I signed some things I wish I hadn't... I've got to depend on myself."
So he's been coming to the adult literacy program at the Newport Beach Library for over two years.
Without reading, the world has high walls that keep you out. Words become a code you cannot crack. Illiteracy means life is a stream that flows all around you – you're like the boulder stuck in place. READ MORE !
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