1 in 5 Central Texans struggles with low literacy.

Trying to imagine what that means? Here are some ideas:

• If you’re standing in an aisle in a grocery store with 4 other people, 1 of you isn’t able to read the labels on packages of food.

• If you drive past a bus stop where 5 people are waiting for the bus, 1 person can’t use the map or timetable to navigate where they’re going.

• If you’re in a waiting room at the doctor’s office with 9 other people, 2 of them won’t be able to read the dosage instructions that comes with their child’s prescription.

Literacy means more than the ability to read. Being literate means having the ability to navigate a city and its services. It means making good decisions for yourself and your family, and ensuring that your kids are successful in school. It means contributing positively to your community and our region’s economy.

It’s also an invisible problem. Unlike other social issues, you can’t see a person’s literacy level to know that they need help.

Dozens of literacy service providers in Travis, Williamson, Bastrop, Caldwell, and Hays Counties work every day to improve the literacy levels, opportunities, and lives of Central Texans. In order to reverse the growing trend of low literacy rates, we have to spread the word: Central Texans need literacy services.