illiteracy: disease or handicap?
By Guitarpunk
@Guitarpunk (738)
United States
June 4, 2009 4:02am CST
Most people think of illiteracy as a disease, but personally, I think of it more as a handicap. Sometimes, it seems like it's both. Once I heard this story where this lady was illiterate and she hid it from everybody (even her parents, children and husband) and never bothered to learn to read or write. And then, her children began to lose interest in school because the mom didn't help them in their studies because she was illiterate. Then, they kept failing grades and finally decided to drop out of school. What do you think about illiteracy? Do you think it's more of a disease or a handicap?
1 person likes this
2 responses
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
4 Jun 09
Illiteracy is not a disease, because you can't catch it, either from an infection or a malfunction in your body. It's only a handicap in that it's a social handicap. Physical handicaps prevent you from doing certain things, but you often have no choice in the situation. With illiteracy, anyone can learn to read and write, but they may choose not to do so. Interesting question.
@Guitarpunk (738)
• United States
4 Jun 09
Illiteracy is not a disease but sometimes acts like one just like in the story above.
@divkris (1156)
• India
4 Jun 09
i see illeteracy more as a handicap. Only when you don't act upon your handicap it spreads as a sisease.
When you cannot help yourself how can you help others - that is being handicap.
I'm not very convinced with the story you have cited because how can parents be ignorant about their own kid's illiteracy. And if she could not help her kids she could always put them into some coaching classes :)
@Guitarpunk (738)
• United States
4 Jun 09
I don't know why the mother didn't do it. It's a true story I read this year in our Literature class. I had a teacher once who couldn't read until her children could. She used to learn with her children as they did their homework. The lady in the story should have done the same thing.
