You Can Teach Fire Safety to Adults Who Can’t Read

By Linda Church, ProLiteracy America
September 2005

Eighty percent of the deaths from home fires happen in the 20% of homes that don’t have working smoke alarms. You probably know that already. But what you might not know is that many of the people who still need to learn about the importance of smoke alarms may well be among the 90 million adults in the United States who have difficulty reading.

As a literacy professional who has spent 30 years studying the problem of low literacy in our country, I’d like to share four things that I think are important to know if you want to reach this high-fire-risk population. I’ve also included some of the compelling stories told by adult learners across the country.

You probably won’t know which people can’t read because they don’t want you to know.

Many are embarrassed about their poor reading skills and try to hide the fact that they can’t read. Some wonder if there’s something wrong with them—maybe they can’t learn.

Sandra Johnson, 43, a housekeeper for a hospital in Washington, DC, wanted to learn to read more than anything, but didn't know how to find help without disclosing her secret. The day she saw a TV commercial about an adult reading program, she didn't have a pencil handy to jot down the number, so she watched the same station every day for a week until the ad re-aired. She was so afraid of telling anyone about her problem, however, that it took two years before she gathered the nerve to dial the number. Read more.

There are many reasons why some adults can’t read.

Some adults can’t read English because they are still learning to speak the language. Other adults, who were born in this country and speak English, may have undiagnosed learning disabilities. Some missed a lot of school because of illness when they were young and just never caught up with their peers. Some had parents who couldn’t read or help them with schoolwork or had teachers who weren’t trained to handle a wide range of learning differences. Some came from dysfunctional families in which the kids simply couldn’t concentrate on learning. There are many other reasons; but “lazy” and “stupid”—stereotypes that many people still hold—are rarely if ever the reasons. Read Harold’s story.

Adults who haven’t learned to read CAN learn.

They can learn to read….

Gilbert Zamora is from Alamagordo, New Mexico. "My goal was to read a story to my daughter, not to create a make-believe story, but to actually read a story to my daughter. That didn't happen. My daughter grew up. So she was reading for herself. But today I'm fulfilling that dream with my granddaughter. My granddaughter cannot imagine her grandpa not able to read,” he said. Read more.

They can learn about fire safety…

When Maria Diaz, a student in the Plano (TX) Even Start Family Literacy Program, participated in fire safety classes that included instruction in how to use a fire extinguisher, she never dreamed she would experience a fire first-hand. But on April 26, 2005, those classroom lessons and hands-on experience paid off. She heard her neighbor and friend, Sandra Jones, screaming. When she went to her apartment, she saw the fire and raced back to her apartment to get her brand new fire extinguisher. She was able to put the fire out, and no one was injured.”