Katrina victims' literacy struggles hamper recovery

[BridgeTheGap]

NEW ORLEANS — Marsha Williams had always hesitated when mail arrived from the government. After Hurricane Katrina, she began to fear the letters.

One warned that her apartment building could be shut down because of unrepaired storm damage. There were legal notices and forms. What did they all mean? At age 51, Williams was embarrassed that she could not read much more than her own name and address.

Three years after Katrina, residents of New Orleans are still buried in a blizzard of government paperwork. But for thousands of storm victims seeking federal aid, the challenge is made more difficult by a little-known obstacle: More than 40 percent of the city's adults lack the literacy skills to comprehend basic government forms. And recovery programs have done little to ease the burden.

"I didn't get a lot of school when I was a child. I guess they didn't have enough to go around," said Williams, who is learning to read in a YMCA adult-education course.

http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/503771.html

[valerief]

1. Yeah, we need more school vouchers for faith-based schools and need to

raid the funding for public schools.
:sarcasm:

This country should be ashamed of itself.