Lireracy Options

By Juliette Christiansen

The Literacy Options pre-vocational training program, designed to assist adults with severe physical disabilities, has been in existence since 1991. The delivery of this service is co-sponsored by Ontario March of Dimes, the department of Counselling and Special Needs of Seneca College, the North York Board of Education and the Literacy Branch of the Ontario Training and Adjustment Board.

The initial phase operates out of Seneca College at the Newnham Campus in North York, where 15 students are served. Response to the program has been enthusiastic and we currently have a waiting list of 39 persons.

Although the program was designed to serve the Metropolitan Toronto area, many referrals have come from outside this region. The need for this service in York Region to the north was so critical that the program was expanded to the Vaughan Campus of Seneca College in Woodbridge. This location was officially opened on October 17, 1994, and at present serves six students on a part-time basis. We hope that funding can be secured to serve a minimum of 12 students full time.

The goals of the Literacy Options program are: to provide a learning environment based on each student’s individual learning needs and goals; to facilitate the acquisition of literacy skills necessary for effective personal life management; to enable students to take a more independent and active role in decisions which affect them; and to assist students in acquiring the prerequisites to enter community college, university, another training program, or employment.

Our program has an 80-per-cent success rate. (We define success as those persons who move on to further training or employment, on either a paid or volunteer basis.) Of the remaining 20 per cent, 18 have been inappropriately placed and leave the program with a thorough assessment and recommendations for alternative training. These assessments usually help the clients find the appropriate programs for their needs. The remaining two per cent are those who decided to drop out of the program, usually for mental or physical health reasons.

Life skills are an integral component of the Literacy Options program and, in large part, contribute to the success of students who are lacking in this area. There are lectures followed by exercises designed to practise what has been taught, as well as group discussions and individual counselling. Problem solving assignments and critical thinking are built into every aspect of the program.

Literacy Options continues to enjoy an excellent reputation. On a daily basis we receive numerous requests for information, and we receive two to three referrals every month -- a clear indication that the need is there.

(Juliette Christiansen is Program Coordinator of Literacy Options. For further information, please call (416) 491-5050, ext. 2567.)

ONTARIO MARCH OF DIMES
10 OVERLEA BLVD.
TORONTO, ON M4H 1A4
TEL: (416) 425-3463
FAX: (416) 425-1920
E-MAIL: omod@inforamp.net
WEBSITE: http://www.omod.org