How Illiteracy E. Ffects Individual People And Society As...

Ciara Puckett Professor Jean Schloeman English 101 15 June 2015 How illiteracy e ffects individual people and society as a whole An Estimated 27 Million Americans are considered illiterate, and another 45 million are considered marginally competent in basic skills. (Women,illiteracy,pov) An illiterate person in our society faces trials every day that are taxing, making life difficult mentally and physically. There is an overwhelming amount of research and studies that indicate that individuals that are functionally illiterate are more likely to be unemployed, convicted of crimes, live in poverty, and drop out of high school. Being illiterate affects the quality of one’s life as well as a communities. The first problem associated with illiteracy is its negative impact on the workforce. Having literacy skills is imperative to being able to learn other skills to be able to keep up with the requirements in a job. According to Lori Forlizzi at Pennsylvania State University These jobs are demanding more education and higher levels of language, math, and reasoning skills. (Lori Forlizzi).There needs to be knowledge and understanding to be able to function in your job. Doing basic tasks require the individual to be able to read, write, and follow directions. In the Deslauriers (1990) article, it states â€Å"Illiteracy affects not only their ability to carry out work-related assignments, but also their relations with their families and even their own self-worth (Deslauriers).