‘They’re a lot cleverer than I thought’: challenging perceptions of disability support staff as they tutor in an adult literacy program

Abstract

Being literate empowers individuals to be effective consumers, to be informed about lifestyle options, to read aesthetically for relaxation and enjoyment and to further their knowledge of people and places that can enable them to participate more fully in communities. However, there are limited literacy opportunities and programs specifically designed to meet the needs of individuals with intellectual disabilities across their lifespan. The aim of this Australian National Training Authority funded project was to develop and implement a training, teaching and resource package for the development of literacy for adults with intellectual disabilities. The aim of this project was to assess, develop, train and assist support staff in two community‐based services for clients with intellectual disabilities to act as literacy tutors for their clients. The project was undertaken within two disability‐service programs using an applied action research approach. The results indicated that the tutors learnt much about tutoring and about the literacy abilities of their clients. There was some initial resistance from the tutors about the value of literacy learning for their clients. However, resistance decreased as tutors developed confidence, and clients demonstrated interest, engagement and skills in the activities. Implications for the effectiveness of such programs lie in the needs to tailor any training specifically to the needs of the support staff; and to provide time for implementation, on‐going support and access to appropriate resources.

Acknowledgements

The authors of this paper acknowledge the support of funding from the Australian National Training Authority, Canberra, Australia.

Notes

1. All names are pseudonyms.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Karen B. Moni

Karen B Moni is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Queensland, Australia. She has had extensive experience teaching and researching in English and literacy education in Australia. Her current research interests include literacy and young adults with intellectual disabilities, adolescent literacy, and teacher education.

Anne Jobling

Anne Jobling is an adjunct Senior Lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Queensland, Australia. She has undertaken significant long‐term research into intellectual disability, specifically Down syndrome. Her current interests address lifelong aspects of education for individuals with intellectual disabilities in the areas of health and education.

Christina E. van Kraayenoord

Christa van Kraayenoord is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of Queensland, Australia. Her research interests include literacy and literacy learning of all students; the writing of individuals with developmental disabilities and learning difficulties; the relationship between metacognition and reading; and literacy assessment and reporting.