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Theres more than meets the eye about Family Literacy Day January 27 marks Family Literacy Day, a nationwide initiative that encourages families to come

together and engage in literacy-related activities such as reading and writing. There is no doubt

that literacy is critical to a childs development, and that families have a crucial role to play inencouraging and fostering literacy. We often take literacy for grantedeven believing that it is

not an issue for a country as prosperous as oursso initiatives like this one are greatly

appreciated.

However, for over 100,000 Albertans who are blind or partially sighted, the notion of Family

Literacy Day can be a challenge. If your child has severe vision loss, then reading and writing

together isnt aseasy as opening up a book or grabbing a pen and paper. In fact, for many

children and youth who are blind, the path to literacy can be a lifelong strugglenot because of

their disability, but because of the many hurdles they face living in a society that often

considers their needs as an afterthought.

Our research estimates that only 7% of all printed materials are available in formats accessible

to people with vision loss, such as braille, large print, audio, or accessible e-text. Imagine

walking into a bookstore to find that there is only one aisle set aside for books, and the rest is

full of empty shelves. The lack of accessible materials is not only alarming, but also questions

our collective belief that literacy is a right, and that all Canadians should be given an equal

opportunity to read and learn. (Its also worth noting that Canada is the only G8 country that

lacks a national, publicly funded library service for people with vision loss or other print

disabilities.)

This being said, literacy is also much more than accessing and absorbing information. The

proliferation of online and mobile technology is often viewed as a great step forward for people

with vision loss, but it comes at a costit is believed that currently only 1 in 10 children in the

United States are learning and embracing braille, a tactile writing system that uses raised dots

to replace letters in the alphabet. Without a sound grasp of the alphabet, its difficult to spell.

And if you cant spell in most definitionsyou would be considered illiterate.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why only 30% of working age adults with vision loss are

employed.

Its time for our province and our countryto once again consider the education needs of

children with disabilities, including vision loss. A concerted effort must be made to ensure that

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more materials are available in accessible formats, and to create a learning environment that

positions our future generations to be productive, contributing members of our society.

As you participate in Family Literacy Day activities this year, take a moment to imagine what it

would be like if you or your child had vision loss. Thinking about it is one big step forward inaddressing this important matter.

John J. McDonald is Executive Director of CNIB Alberta and Northwest Territories.