Hearsay With Cathy Lewis

Many Americans don't think twice about their ability to understand prescription labels, communicate via e-mail or get lost in a good book. For an estimated 30 million Americans, aged 16 or older, who have not mastered basic reading and writing skills those seemingly simple tasks are not possible. Low adult literacy impacts many facets of life including health care, employment and crime, but with many who can't read ashamed to admit it the issue doesn't get a lot of attention. We'll talk about efforts underway on the national and local level to help those struggling with literacy. Guests: Joan Peterson, Executive Director of Literacy for Life and Professor Gay Ivey, Professor and Coordinator of Reading Education at James Madison University.