National Adult Literacy Database

May 14, 2001

This week, we are launching a story written by a student from Toronto, Ontario. As a special event you can read her story as well as hear it. This story was recorded and posted live to the Internet during the Ontario Literacy Coalition Conference : Courage to Learn, on May 10, 2001.

We are presenting Catharine MacDonald's autobiography. Catharine is enrolled at the East York Learning Experience. She is also a board member of the Metro Toronto Movement for Literacy (MTML).

Play an audio version of this story

Autobiography

by Catharine MacDonald

My name is Catharine MacDonald. I have been involved in literacy since 1992. I have been on Boards, Councils, and done a lot of volunteer work since I learned to read and write. I started at a grade two level and I have worked so hard that I can now read my lease and my pension and health documents. I can now read and understand the information about candidates at election time. I can also read government papers. (That doesn't mean that I understand all of them - does anybody?)

Reading these kinds of documents is very important to me because as part of my literacy work I have gotten to speak to MP'S and MPP's all over Ontario about literacy. I spoke to them about not cutting the money that goes to support literacy programs.

I think that I made literacy more personal to them. They told me about how literacy problems had affected their family and friends. I think that it made these people think about literacy on a more conscious level. It is harder to dismiss an issue if it has a familiar face.

I look forward to doing more of this work in the future. I enjoy working on anything that will benefit learners.