In April 1997, he enrolled for literacy tutoring at Tri-State Literacy Council. Richard said that technology was changing the world, and he needed to learn in order to keep up. His tutor, Alicia Graham, says he is a very dedicated student. Richard keeps notebooks in which he draws pictures to help him remember new words. He has written for the Tri-State Literacy Council newsletter and agreed to be interviewed by the local newspaper.
Many adults feel the shame and stigma of being a limited reader.
Richard's willingness to talk about his literacy problem encourages both potential students and volunteers to get involved. In 1988, Lisa Kittel, a native of the Philippines, dropped out of college to get married, have three children, and travel extensively. She moved to West Virginia three years ago. Through all of this, she never gave up her dream of being a college graduate. Her first step was to brush up on her skills by enrolling in the adult basic education class.