Their access to and interest in gaining new information was restricted by their inability to read. People who enjoy reading and writing and do it regularly show themselves to be literate as well as motivated. Ms. Ryles' ideas are fully supported by the personal accounts of many adults with low vision who have elected to teach themselves Braille as adults and feel that they were denied an opportunity to become fully literate while they were young. In addition, they discuss three developmental levels of literacy. Emergent literacy refers to the development of concepts about print, which usually occurs during the preschool years.
Basic literacy refers to literacy experiences which occur during the school years.
Functional literacy refers to the literacy experiences involved in daily life, such as filling out a job application, keeping an address book, and labeling items. Functional illiteracy refers to being unable to use reading and writing to meet one's everyday needs. Marginal illiteracy refers to being unable to use print at all. General literacy refers to the use of literacy to improve the quality of life for themselves and others. A person's level of literacy has a direct impact on both physical and psychological well-being.