Health literacy materials; web sites, videos, and more!
A health related problem can be overwhelming to fluent English speakers. Forms, procedures, directions, dos and don’ts, even basic anatomy can be confusing and even sometimes seemingly contradictory. As we struggle to navigate through the beaucroacy, we forget that we have one advantage over many people facing the same problems – we can speak English.
In a previous post, we linked you to a site devoted specifically to this issue. We’re now going to explore some other sites discussed at a recent workshop.
In this article from the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy you will get the opportunity to follow an ESL tutor, Kate Singleton, in her journey to fill the gap between health related curricula and real life experiences. As a result of her work, you can also find a rich web page full of her health related picture stories that can be used right away in your classes.
Variety is also the spice of life and the following web site gives you that in spades – as long as you are looking to spice up your health literacy curricula. Health Roads Media has lessons in 20 categories including medical tests, dental, nutrition, and staying healthy. The lessons are offered in 5 ways: pictures, sound, written, web page video, and mobile video for the iPod. The materials are also available in an astonishing 20 languages!
If you are looking for brochures, we have the site for you. The 24 Languages Project, a project of the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, has over 200 health education brochures in 24 languages.
Another robust site you can visit is called “Family Health and Literacy” which is described as “a guide to easy-to-read health education materials and web sites for families.” Not only does this site have easy-to-read materials but it also has information on how to get started and links to further curricula. If you like the content on the site, you can order a copy in printed form.
If you have found other great sites on health literacy, please post a comment here and we’ll feature them in an upcoming post.