We who read every day don't think twice about the literacy skills we employ. It would be nearly impossible to imagine how different our lives would be if we hadn't been able to shape our own futures by reading and writing. Our schools still stress writing and reading because they are at the very core of education.
Language remains the key to thinking and to learning.
And as more and more written information becomes available in a variety of electronic formats, reading ability is increasingly vital. Yet up to 40 million adult Americans have only minimal literacy skills. They can't fill out a job application, understand a label on a prescription or read a simple story to their children. They're shut out from a whole universe of experience most of us accept without question. Just think how much stronger our entire society would be if all its members could read and write fluently.