September marks Literacy Awareness Month and across the coming weeks, Wexford Local Development will be highlighting the work we do to reduce literacy barriers.
Today, as we mark International Literacy Day, staff from across all of our offices joined together to have conversations about literacy and celebrate the work WLD is doing in this area. This was part of our wider programme of internal events for Literacy Awareness Month organised by Wexford Local Development’s Literacy Friendly Working Group, with support from Waterford Wexford ETB and the Wexford Library Service. From plain English training to talks from library staff, there are opportunities for the whole team to get involved. This month, each staff member also received a Literacy Pack containing items such as writing and design guides. These packs are filled with practical resources that can help us all to support people with literacy difficulties through our work.
What exactly is literacy and why is it important? Literacy is about much more than reading or writing. It also includes speaking, listening, using numbers and digital skills. Literacy challenges can have a huge impact on how people engage in their lives and the world around them. It impacts how they access opportunities, make decisions and take part in their communities. As an organisation that holds values of respect, equality and inclusion, we are continuously working to remove literacy barriers for the people we work with.
Literacy Awareness Month certainly offers a great opportunity to shine a light on literacy, but Wexford Local Development is proud to be a Literacy Friendly organisation all year round. In practice, this means making sure our information and services are easy to understand, access and use. We do this in a number of ways, including:
- Using plain English
- Creating clear forms and information
- Checking that people understand information
- Making services easy to navigate
- Responding sensitively to literacy, numeracy and digital needs
- Continuously improving how information is shared
- Promoting literacy in our organisation through our Literacy Champions
Putting these things in place not only impacts those with literacy needs. Making information easy to access and understand has a positive impact on everyone.
