NIFL Region IV Hub Project

Updated: April 30, 1996

The "What's New!" page is intended to showcase current news, events, publications, projects, and any other items that concern literacy and the Region IV Hub. Check out past issues under What's New Oldies.

Region IV is proud to welcome five new State Web sites to the Hub IV Hub Club. Thanks to all the hard work of the sites "Webmasters", the Hub IV Project Web site is all the richer. Check out the following great new pages:

Alaska's State Literacy Resource Center page content is supplied by Nine Star Enterprises. Nine Star Enterprises is a nonprofit agency affiliated with adult education in Alaska since 1976. The Alaska Department of Education supervises adult literacy programs across the state of Alaska. The programs help enable adults to function effectively and become self-sufficient citizens in, rather than clients of, our society.

The Resource Center is a full-service library of adult education/literacy materials. It is funded through the Adult Education Act, and managed by the Office of Adult Education, Colorado Department of Education.

The Resource Center serves Colorado's adult education community. This includes program directors, teachers, tutors, volunteers, and staff of AEA funded programs, as well as CDE staff, public and school library staff, volunteer literacy programs in churches, libraries, and other community organizations; businesses and employers, legislators, other government agencies and service providers, and anyone interested in adult education and literacy.

The New Mexico Coalition for Literacy was established to coordinate, expand and enhance the delivery of adult literacy services throughout the State. The Coalition encourages and supports community based literacy programs and is the New Mexico affiliate and coordinator for the national programs of the Literacy Volunteers of America (LVA), Laubach Literacy Action (LLA), and Project Literacy U.S. (PLUS).

The Oregon State Literacy Resource Center is an interagency network for sharing resources and professional development opportunities for those providing adult basic skills development and English as a Second Language in the context of family, work and community. The hub of this network in Oregon is the Office of Community College Services who subcontracts with appropriate agencies and organizations to broaden the base of resources and training opportunities.

The Wyoming Literacy Resource Center (WLRC) goals include improving and promoting state-of-the-art teaching methods, technologies, and program evaluations; assisting public and private agencies in the delivery of literacy services; and providing training and technical assistance to literacy instructors.

The Hub IV Project and the State Literacy Resource Center of California has began an electronic forum for literacy trends and ideas called Literally Literacy. It will feature writings by literacy professionals on the state of literacy now and the look of literacy in the future. It will also feature "In My Own Words", a place for adult learners to write for adult learners. "In My Own Words" will showcase poems, essays, and stories from adults around the Western Hub IV region and the world.
Submissions are most welcomed. Please email the editors Paul Heavenridge or Carol Talan for publishing consideration of your material. We would also appreciate any ideas or suggestions you have concerning the Page.

Two citizens living in Region IV, Senitila McKinley, of Waldport, Oregon, and Leslie Shelton, Director of Project Read, South San Francisco Public Library, California, were granted one-year Literacy Leader Fellowships by the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL). Those who were chosen as stand-outs in the field of literacy and adult education. They will carry out short-term, innovative projects that will advance the field of literacy and adult education.

Senitila McKinley is a former English-as-a Second-Language student who has acted as a state and national spokesperson for adult learners. She is originally from Tonga, works as a Teacher's Aide at Waldport Grade School, and is a published author, artist, and church deacon. Her fellowship project is to conduct a national survey of "best practices" in adult learner advocacy then make presentations to groups concerned with literacy.

Leslie Shelton founded the South San Francisco Public Library Project Read library literacy program which stresses the involvement of adult learners in both design and operation. Her project will be "Focusing on Learning Strengths: The Excellence for All Model". It will involve the continued development, expansion, dissemination, and assessment of Honoring Diversity. This innovative instructional approach "applies the theory of multiple intelligences to adult literacy practice and uses a variety of strategies to help learners find and use their learning strengths". She will work with adult educators and adult learners in conducting the activities and produce new curriculum, assessment, and training materials, including a tutor training guide, for Honoring Diversity.

The Literacy Leader Fellowship program will be an annual NIFL event. It is intended to further the Fellows' careers and enhance the efforts of NIFL.

"Laying It on the Line" takes place in a writing instruction program classroom and demonstrates a process approach for teaching writing to adult new readers. It is promoted as being useful for all types of literacy/ABE programs including training volunteer tutors, orienting small group writing class instructors, or developing student interest. It models how language skills and life skills writing competencies can be interwoven.

You can order video copies along with a companion guide from the following address:

California State Library Foundation
1225 8th Street, Suite 345
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-447-6331

Click here to view video
Laying it on the Line Movie 2.4K

COMING SOON!
Click here to hear audio
Laying it on the Line

Note: You must have a movie player application or Real audio to access this file. To download real audio player click here. Click here for more info about web helper apps.

The NRC aims to improve the quality of community adult education (in Aotearoa, New Zealand) and to encourage research in the field. Some of the links you can explore on this page include Education links, Special Education, Indigenous Information, Feminist Resources, Travel Resources, General Resources Listservs and more.

The Rural Clearinghouse for Lifelong Education and Development is a national effort to improve rural access to continuing education. There are over one hundred resources on rural education, Internet connectivity, rural development, extension, and health. In addition, in conjunction with Ohio University, the Clearinghouse has developed a rural sociology telecourse entitled "Rural Communities: Legacy and Change".

The National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) is Canada's adult literacy electronic information network. NALD provides adult literacy information to practitioners, teachers, volunteers, program administrators, policy setters, and learners.
It also links with other services and databases in North America and overseas. Take a peek and surf the NALD wave.

CAL is a private, nonprofit organization that has been involved in applying research and information about language and culture to educational, cultural, and social concerns since 1959. It's three primary objectives are: to improve the teaching of English as a second or foreign language, to promote the teaching of the less commonly taught languages, and to conduct research that will enhance the educational process.

Is there a literacy question that's keeping you up late at night? Questions about literacy manners, literacy relationships, literacy trivia? Caroline has the answers! Email her at cdobison@otan.dni.us.

Dear Caroline: I am a community college student and I have been told that I might have dyslexia, a reading disorder. Will this affect my ability to get help from local reading programs? I am afraid to get tested and type cast as needing "special education"? Afraid Of Teasing

Dear Afraid of Teasing: Good for you for confronting your concerns! For our readers who are not familiar with the term, Dyslexia has been described as a disorder which causes one to process information in a different way than most people. Dyslexics can be visual, multi-dimensional thinkers who learn primarily in pictures, not words. As other adults with learning disabilities have learned, you cannot be prohibited from receiving reasonable accommodation in your educational studies because SECTION 504 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973 protects you from discrimination. It states:

"No otherwise qualified handicapped individual in the United States...shall, solely by reason of...handicap, be excluded from the participation in, denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."

Most literacy programs and all public education institutions will provide programs to you help find how you learn best. Most are part of a regular class and your learning style is between you and your instructor. Don't be afraid to accept extra support and reinforcement to help you learn how to learn. Oh, and by the way, there is a great web site where you can get more information on this topic at http://www.dyslexia.com/

Dear Caroline: I'm a new tutor and my student seems to have a learning disability. Where can I find resources to learn more about adults with learning disabilities? Signed, Clueless in California

There are a plethora of sites on the Web that deal with learning disabilities. Here are some of the site you may consider exploring:

1) Ask Eric Info Guides - lists WWW and gopher sites where you find detailed info on specific learning disabilities.

2) ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education has compiled a number of digests on this topic.

3) Alliance For Technology Access helps to enhance the lives of people with disabilities through technology, by raising public awareness, implementing initiatives, and providing information and hands-on exploration at community resource centers.

4) Yahoo an Internet indexing guide by subject. Try checking under Education-Special Education-Learning Disabilities.