Critical Literacy: Empowering Students with Cognitive Disabilities.
Marilyn Raymond, Okanagan University College. 1999.

As critical literacy “aims to challenge the culture of silence by helping students to find their voice,” the guide’s purpose is to provide instructors with strategies to help students with cognitive disabilities develop a critical voice along with more traditional reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. In her introduction, Raymond says, “Over the years I have looked for, and attempted to develop, better and more appropriate materials, strategies and methods. I want my literacy classes to open doors for students. Doors to creativity, self-expression and freedom of mind.”

The guide includes teaching and learning strategies such as phonemic awareness, phonics, grammar and spelling, as well as theme units on self-awareness, family, gaining independence and community living.

Guidelines for Inclusive Curriculum.
Developed by Marg Penney, Seema Ahluwalia, Betty Nobel, Alan Tremayne, and Inga Thomson. 1996.

This manual is an outline for a workshop on the concept of inclusive curriculum, or “the emotionally loaded issues of sexism, racism and discrimination as they impact on the classroom.” The workshops were developed with input from persons with disabilities, visible minorities and Aboriginal people, and field-tested at several B.C. community colleges. The manual contains a discussion of some of the key issues and some suggested activities and exercises.

Best Program Practices, Saskatchewan Literacy Network.
A self-evaluation kit for adult literacy programs and related literacy projects. March, 2000.

A working committee of literacy practitioners, program coordinators, and learner representatives across the province developed these statements of best practice and the accompanying questionnaires. The kit, used as a Best Practices foundation for literacy in Saskatchewan, will help programs reflect on current initiatives and identify their strengths. The booklet is well formatted with clearly designed and easy-to-read questionnaires for programs, tutors and learners.

Novels for Adult Learners — Activities Handbook for Instructors.
Prepared by Don Sawyer, Okanagan University College, 1999.

This is an accompaniment to the Novels for Adult Learners Series, published in 1997, which was designed to meet a need in the field for interesting and relatively easy to read original fiction relevant to the lives of adult literacy students. The handbook is a response to requests from instructors for ideas on how to use these popular novels in the classroom. The emphasis is on a range of activities, specific to the content of the books, that are enjoyable, relevant and affirming and that help turn the classroom into a place of critical inquiry.