“See Jane run”
The aunt of a friend had a stroke and couldn’t read. She was elderly and had been a teacher. She went back to the way she used to teach her students to read, probably in the ‘40s and ‘50s, and taught herself again...to read.
If an immigrant cannot read in their native language, they will find it nearly impossible to read in another language even with learning the basics of that language.
I know you are telling the truth. As many of you know, I presently eork with people with various disabilities. Ive often met people who tell me that they cant read because someone told them that they were “too retarded” to learn. Provided a person doesnt have a brain injury that stops them from connecting symbols with their meanings, teaching an adult to read using phonics, even the “too retarded” ones, is one of the easiest parts of my job.