40% of Canadians can't read well enough to do everyday tasks.
These tasks include:
- Reading labels on a medicine bottle.
- Discerning substances as a Janitor.
- Reading and understanding the facts in an article.
Yeah. 40%
Literacy levels are measured on a scale of 1-5. If you're at a level 1, you'll struggle with reading any text. If you're a 5, you can read dense materials that require specialized knowledge.
Being at a level 3 allows for success in society. Reading isn't a problem, and you can read between the lines.
And the 40% we talked about? That's level 2, these people are below a grade 5 reading level.
So forget about "learning x online" to expand your skillsets. If you have trouble reading, your opportunities are limited.
So here's a startup idea: A search engine for the illiterate. And here's how it might look like:
- People should search by talking to the search engine.
- Search results should have images next to them to help with understanding.
- Links should prioritize video media if relevant.
- Results should be heavily vetted for trustworthy sources.
But the search engine should also help people navigate webpages with:
- A support hotline for assistance.
- Algorithms to highlight important sections in the webpage.
- Algorithms to explain dense text with simple summaries.
If jobs are going to be automated away, then more jobs will require a higher literacy level. That's why we should consider expanding adult literacy programs or investing in assistive tools.
There's a cornucopia of literacy tools just waiting for VC funding. Since people don't think about this problem, I think there's tremendous room for opportunity. So tell me if you work on this! I want to hear what ideas you all come up with.
As always, have a great week.
- Curtis
P.S. If you're interested in learning more, I've included some links below. Please do research of your own, and I would love to know if I'm entirely misguided :)
- CBC: Nearly half of adult Canadians struggle with literacy — and that's bad for the economy
- Literacy and the Police: Literacy Factsheet
- Statistics Canada: University graduates with lower levels of literacy and numeracy skills
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