Recently, there has been recognition of the need to move to definitions of literacy that are multi-dimensional. This paper will report the preliminary results of a study designed to investigate the role of ICTs in developing literacy in young people, aged 16-25, with special educational needs. The aim of the study is to track the students as they move from compulsory schooling into a range of further education programmes, in terms of their literacy development, and the ICTs available to support such development. The research is located within the context of further education college libraries in England and Wales, and will seek to identify positive models of ICT resource provision for this group, and the role of the librarian in facilitating literacy development. Literacy and ICT Most definitions of literacy place emphasis on print based information and have relevance only for the average pupil in mainstream education.
Literacy has far reaching effects on society.
Notions or ideas of literacy are not a new phenomenon, what is new however, is the complexity of today s literacy. Definitions of literacy have changed radically in the past fifty years as society s expectations for literate behaviour evolved. In post-modern society it is becoming increasingly necessary for individuals to negotiate the new technologies, as we move away from an era of exclusion to an era of inclusion , ideas of literacy need redefining. ICTs and computers are redefining literacy and the approaches to teaching it. We are in a transition period moving away from print-dominated classrooms where literacy learning focuses almost completely on tasks related to dealing effectively with text.