Tannenbaum says that in Brome-Missisquoi, the results are even more eye-opening. According to the ALS survey, about 35 per cent of adults in Brome-Missisquoi are at level 1 (with serious reading difficulties), Another 30 per cent are at level 2 (with some reading difficulties), and a total of 65 per cent (nearly two-thirds of the population) have serious or some reading difficulties. "For those of us who read and write, we can hardly imagine a world where the letters truly appear as hieroglyphics, where we have to feign comprehension because everyone else can read the notice posted on the board or the headline in the newspaper, "writes Tannenbaum in an article< published in the YLC newsletter last November. Tannenbaum adds that literacy problems often start early and tend to snowball if not addressed early.

"Sometimes students get pegged in elementary school as school," she says, a condition that leads to a loss of confidence and self-esteem. As those students become adults and enter the job market, they find their choices limited and also, find a daunting world where low literacy skills may make them the butt of teasing and cruel jokes. So says literacy student Donna Woodard, 26, a Vale Perkins native who started working with literacy tutor Jane Patrick in January, 2002. "I could read a little bit," says the shy but determined student, adding that her problems began early and, falling behind her classmates, she eventually gave up trying to read. With support from family, however, Woodard managed to obtain a vocational certificate in maintenance, and entered into a series of manual jobs, where, she says, people teased her, something that only added to her frustration.

Woodard's break came when she was accepted into a Mansonville program called the Magnificent Seven, which is run by the Mansonville's Citizen's Advocacy group. The program engaged the seven students in various activities including organizing a film festival, starting a garden and learning computer skills. Each student had to set a goal, and Woodard's was to improve her reading and get a better job. While at the program, she met Jane Patrick, a former teacher and then, a volunteer with the Potton Learning Centre (PLC).

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