In 2010, we created the Wisconsin Health Literacy division to establish critical partnerships between health care and literacy.

Thank you to all the partners, funders, supporters and community members who have been on this 10 year journey with us.

We couldn't have done it without you!

Prescription labels are often confusing. Understanding labels can be a challenge for all patients, but especially for those who have low health literacy.

Patients who don’t know how to take their medications correctly can get hurt or even die. Wisconsin Health Literacy helps pharmacies create labels that are easier to read, understand, and follow.

If you want to infuse real-life situations into a civics or general adult education lesson, here are clear resources on how:

On October 6th, brew some tea, find a comfy spot, and join us for expert training and tips for adult educators, volunteers, and literacy program managers.

Don’t worry if a session is full – we will post all recordings on our website. 

Now that we’re connecting primarily through phone, virtual meetings and email, clear communication is more important than ever. 

Wisconsin Literacy offers a new virtual training series around plain language, with introductory prices. (Literacy members get a discount. See your RLC/RCC for more information.)

Plain language strategies:

Learn more or register for upcoming trainings at: https://wisconsinliteracy.org/training/virtual-plain-language.html

Literacy Services of Wisconsin, in partnership with the YWCA of Southeast Wisconsin, is offering a virtual workshop series this fall that will focus on the foundational aspects of adult literacy education.

This series has been developed to support staff, volunteers, partners, and other friends of literacy in thinking more deeply about how they can actively facilitate and enhance their online and distance learning courses in a COVID-19 world.

Topics include:

You can sign up for individual courses with the button below.

Neighborhood House's International Learning Program (ILP) participated in the Welcoming America project. Welcoming America is a national effort that brings "Welcomers" (those born and living in the U.S.) and refugees and immigrants together in a variety of projects.

With this project, ILP beautified their garden grounds and installed a temporary photo exhibit of students who have become, or will soon become, U.S. citizens. If you live in Milwaukee, go to 639 N. 25th St, Milwaukee, WI 53233 to see this display.

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month.

Our Celebration of Literacy keynote speaker, Shawn Robinson, PhD., is honoring the life of Dr. Robert T. Nash, the professor who first diagnosed him at age 18. He will bike 170 miles from Oshkosh to Evanston Illinois in one day to raise awareness on educational and health disparities. You can learn how to support his efforts here: https://www.classy.org/fundraiser/2912182.

Madison College's Vice President of Equity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement, Lucía Nuñez, will facilitate this discussion with Dr. Kendi, one of America's foremost historians and leading antiracist voices. He is the author bestselling book, How To Be An Antiracist.

Ibram X. Kendi's concept of antiracism reenergizes and reshapes the conversation about racial justice in America--but even more fundamentally, points us toward liberating new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other. Instead of working with the policies and system we have in place, Kendi asks us to think about what an antiracist society might look like, and how we can play an active role in building it.

Literacy Partners, a ProLiteracy Organizational Member, presents an online series of virtual literary special events focused on the long quest for social and racial justice in America for Black Americans and other people of color, and for those whose lives are fundamentally shaped by the immigrant experience.

See your RLC/RCC about becoming a ProLiteracy member.

Michele Erikson, Executive Director of Wisconsin Literacy, serves on ProLiteracy’s Public Policy and Advocacy Committee that met on September 30th.

Michele Diecuch, ProLiteracy’s Senior Director of Programs, gave updates on the CARES Act funding related to Adult Education. While hopeful earlier in the summer that specific Adult Education dollars would be included the 2nd Relief package, it doesn’t look very promising at this point. It is predicted that there may not be a 2nd Relief package before the November election.

ProLiteracy sent comments to OCTAE (Office of Career and Technical Education) regarding the proposed changes to the NRS standards. Before new standards can be adopted, OCTAE will be reviewing all comments. Their comments can be downloaded here. 

There is a new ProLiteracy Advocacy Toolkit for Adult Ed. and Literacy to be released this month! An additional advocacy tool for members includes a recent report on COVID Rapid Response Report. 

In addition, there is a recent Gallup Report on the cost of low literacy levels commissioned by the Barbara Bush Foundation. Both of these tools can be used to advocate for funding.

Finally, there is a National Action Plan for Adult Literacy that will be released later this fall. The plan addresses several key focus areas of literacy including Access and Reach, Corrections Education, Professional Development and Data Use.

Please send news you want to share to info@wisconsinliteracy.org so we can include it in the November 2020 e-news.

Thank you for your support!

Wisconsin Literacy is a proud member of:

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