scan and read feedback

what our customers are saying about scan and readFYI

In response to my request, you sent me copies of your program. We had previously received a copy from the Arkansas Adult Learning Resource Center. I am just beginning to explore the possibilities of this excellent learning tool. It is loaded on one computer at our 600 Walnut Street Lab and in Stamps, Arkansas. It will soon be on computers at Robison Courts in Texarkana, Texas, and in Ashdown, AR. I apologize for not doing more, and I will expand our use of this program.

In Stamps I have been working with a 24 year old young lady who happens to have Down Syndrome. My training is in adult basic literacy with lots of great “LD” training thanks to AALRC. I have no training or experience with mentally challenged folks. I have not been able to find help on the net (or anywhere else) about how to teach this student. So, in my ignorance, I decided to treat her as if she had “LD”! Phonics is out! Her speech (and my hearing or lack thereof) is such that I don’t believe she will ever be able to sound out letters to make words. We started months ago building a sight word vocabulary using the 300 most used words in the English language.

She is a true fan (meaning fanatic) of country music! She knows all the artists, their songs, how many children they have, etc. So, I have been connecting my 300 words to her interest. (We started with the alphabet; A for Alabama, B for Brooks, C for Colin; D for Dolly,etc. I gave up on the alphabet when I realized that phonics would not work with her.) After loading Scan and Read Lite, I wrote a one page story which came from her “life experience” and interest. I used words from the 300 words list we have been studying on flash cards with the names of the country music stars she already knows from sight. I then printed it out and we read it. Then the computer reads it to her. Guess what? This is the first full page of text I have ever seen her read! We have used the program several times and had it read the story to her. She fusses because it does not start reading and marking text with the first word, but she still reads it!

I have also used it with a second basic literacy (almost certainly mentally challenged) 48 year old man in Stamps. He has only read his story once, but I have great hope that Scan and Read Lite will allow him to make progress as well.

An underemployed staff person is now creating text files (we don’t have a scanner) of all the stories in the Laubach Skill Books. Once we have the files they will go into our computers for all basic students to read. With your program and Project Guttenberg, a wealth of great literature is open to all adult literacy students. I would like to explore some of your other programs, and as funds become available, I will do so.

Thanks for your donation of Scan and Read Lite. No one item is the silver bullet, but every tool we use makes a difference. There is no question that we will find many uses for Scan and Read Lite with many different students in the future.

Thanks again!

Billy R. Upson
Satellite and Workplace Coordinator
Literacy Council of Bowie & Miller Counties
PO Box 1111
Texarkana, AR/TX