Statistics from the National Assessment of Adult Literacy estimate that up to 22 percent of adults in Southside Virginia do not have the ability to read basic prose literature.

Data from the 2013 U.S. Census shows that in Virginia 87.5 percent of individuals have achieved high school diplomas or additional education.

However, Southside Virginia fell slightly behind statewide statistics.

According to Mora da Silva, the executive director of the Charlotte Adult Learning Center, “census data shows that only 62-68 percent of adults in Southside have completed high school. That leaves quite a number of individuals with gaps in basic reading, writing and arithmetic; which sadly often translates to worse health, higher poverty and higher levels of education.”

With Longwood University in its borders, Prince Edward County and Farmville have a wealth of resources to aid adults struggling with illiteracy.

Specifically, the Longwood Speech, Hearing and Learning Services offer a wide variety of resources to the public.

According to their mission statement, “the mission of Longwood’s Speech, Hearing, and Learning Services is to be a caring community resource for children and families in South Central Virginia, providing the highest level of service in professional speech-language, educational and early intervention programs and to fully prepare Longwood students for their future careers as speech-language pathologists or educators, by providing focused field experiences.”

According to William Pulliam, the offices’s director of clinical education, “at the clinic we offer both speech and language services along with tutoring to the public. We receive most of our referrals from outside sources, such as doctors, schools, parents, etc. All of our clients are from the community and the services are provided by a graduate student in our program, under the direction of a certified SLP.”

“The Southern region of Virginia has experienced the loss of hundreds of manufacturing jobs in the last two decades, severely limiting the employability of many of the residents who lack high school educations,” da Silva said.

According to Longwood professor Dr. Audrey Church, each year a summer literacy institute is held at Longwood University. “We typically have around 150 participants — graduate students from the two programs and classroom teachers, reading specialists, literacy coaches and school librarians from around the state,” Church said. The theme for the upcoming summer will be Literacy Goes Global.   

In addition to Prince Edward County being a hub for literacy resources, neighboring Charlotte County is dedicated to fostering literacy in Southside Virginia.

“Charlotte County has strong community-based literacy organization, the Charlotte Adult Learning Center … whose mission is to improve adult literacy and foster lifelong learning in and around Charlotte County one student at a time,” da Silva said. “We partner with the Department of Social Services, SVCC, Charlotte Primary Care, the Piedmont Health District, Charlotte County Public Schools, Charlotte County Fire and Rescue and various churches to serve as many people as possible,” she said.