Adult Literacy Centre

The Adult Literacy Centre provides educational opportunities for adults with intellectual disabilities.

Established in 1999, the Adult Literacy Centre is located in the Options for Adults building.  In addition, Community Consultants are available to meet with learners in a variety of community locations.

Individual learning spaces, equipped with computers, handheld devices, and a variety of software applications are available in the Adult Literacy Centre for people who prefer a quiet learning environment.  Consultants are available to support learners, while also respecting an individual's choice to work independently on any number of projects, which may include journaling, researching a topic of interest, or reading books with the assistance of a screen reader.

Many learners prefer to meet Consultants in a public space, such as the Kenora Public Library or a local coffee shop.  This has become an increasingly easy option with the advancement of handheld devices and wireless connectivity.  In warmer weather, learners take advantage of Kenora's picturesque surroundings to work outdoors, near a lake or in a community garden.  Consultants believe that adult learning is most inspired when people are engaged in activities and environments that reflect personal choices and interests, and that learning is a lifelong journey made meaningful through active participation in one's community.

The scope of the Adult Literacy Centre extends beyond conventional print-based literacy models to meet evolving communication and social networking opportunities.  Learning is self-directed and reflects each learner's goals.  Each person's skills and abilities are recognized and valued.  Adult learners gain additional strategies to access and share information, to make informed choices, to communicate effectively with others, and to engage the social networks of their community.  People use their literacy time to organize their personal schedules, to express their opinions, to tell their stories, to explore local news, to elect public representatives, and to choose or reject services.

Communication styles and strategies are very diverse.  Consultants encourage people to use their voice by affirming existing communicative strengths, and by introducing additional and alternative strategies.  Gestures, eye pointing, body language, pictures, symbols, and utterances are legitimate forms of communication to be respected.  The Adult Literacy Centre provides computer software and handheld devices, loaded with speech generating applications, to enhance communication and creative learning opportunities.  

The Adult Literacy Centre believes that learners deserve competent and creative educators. Community Consultants continue to strengthen their own potential to support learners through a practice of continuous research, reflection, and collaboration.  Consultants cultivate an environment that is rich in positive relationships and creative approaches to adult learning.