Welcome to the Health & Literacy Special Collection, a one-stop gateway to health information and resources for adult education practitioners. This Web site is for teachers, tutors, students, and administrators who are interested in using health as a content area for literacy education.

From this site you can find:

• Health curricula for literacy and ESOL classes
• Guides for incorporating health into literacy education
• Readers, stories, and brochures that provide basic health information in simple language, or in languages other than English
• Information about the link between literacy and health status
• Links to organizations dedicated to health and literacy education

The Health & Literacy Special Collection is part of the Literacy Information and Communication System (LINCS) program of the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL). The LINCS program is a national effort to provide widespread Web-based access to information needed by adult literacy practitioners. The Health & Literacy Special Collection is one of ten collections of resources relating to specific content areas within literacy education.

World Education is maintaining the Health & Literacy Collection, and we are looking for input from the field. This collection is still in a beginning stage, and there is a lot of flexibility in its development. This means that your input will count. The most important goal is that it be easy-to-use and helpful in a practical way for you, the literacy practitioners in the field. So we would very much like to hear your feedback, recommendations, and ideas about the Web site and the materials it includes. Log on to the Health & Literacy Special Collection site: www.worlded.org/us/health/lincs

• What do you think about the organization of the site itself?
• How easy is it to use?
• Can you find information quickly?
• Are there high-quality useful materials on the site?
• Could a learner find useful information?
• Could you use this site in a class?
• What changes would make it easier to navigate?
• As an adult literacy practitioner, what are your needs for health information?
• What specific resources do you need in order to address health issues in your classroom?
• Do you know of any exceptional health materials that we could include in the collection?

This is your chance to recommend materials that make you think, "Wow! This is so good, every teacher should know about it!" The materials can be Web sites, curricula, stories, booklets, videos, or any other format. They must be health-related and appropriate for low-literacy adults, or adults whose primary language is not English. We are especially interested in learner-generated materials and curricula developed by adult education programs. Materials from other states are also high priorities. We thank you for any feedback you can provide and sincerely hope that you find the Health & Literacy Special Collection a valuable resource.

Free Gift!
If you contact us with feedback on the Health & Literacy Special Collection, we will send you a copy of our new publication: Culture, Health and Literacy: A Guide to Health Education Materials for Adults with Limited English Literacy Skills.

Julie McKinney is the editor of the Health & Literacy Special Collection. Based at World Education in Boston, she may be reached either by phone, 617-482-9485, or by e-mail at jmckinney@worlded.org