Answers May Vary gets a Glow-Up

Emily Robinson Leclair, Community Learning Network

0 26 November 2024

I love a good resource. Preferably in print. Ideally my own copy. I like to mark it up: adding highlights (the more colours the better), underlining, and flagging the good bits. I like to doodle in the margins and add notes (often on Post-Its) to my future self.

I love flipping back through and adding to those notes: what’s new, what worked, and who can tell me more.

I also love sharing resources. Nothing brings me more joy than to be able to recommend the perfect resource. In my role as Regional Support Staff, I often get to connect CALP staff with a timely title, responsive portal discussion, or fitting microlearning.

And I have favourites. One of my all-time favourite resources is the Answers May Vary Guidebook. The Answers May Vary Guidebook is an existing resource that can be found on the CALP Portal. Developed in 2015 by Bow Valley College, this easy-to-read guidebook provides concrete instructions about how to incorporate literacy and other essential skills into the daily life of an adult with a developmental disability.

Truthfully, the only problem facing the Guidebook is that it might not be on the top of your ‘to be read’ pile. There are countless reasons for this. It is possible that:

you are new(er) to the CALP system
your colleague loves the Answers May Vary Guidebook so much that they didn’t return it
your Guidebook was so well used that its spiral bound, soft cover pages literally fell apart

Regardless of the reason, we are keen to introduce you (or reintroduce you) to the Answers May Vary Guidebook! In the publishing industry it is common to see books relaunched. A relaunch may be in response to new readership, a milestone celebration or influential endorsement. Maybe the relaunch includes a new cover design, a 'recommended by Jenna, Oprah etc.' sticker, new illustrations or a foreword from the author.

Relaunching a book can be a powerful way to breathe new life into your title and attract a fresh wave of readers.

In essence, the relaunch meaning is to reintroduce your book to the market with a fresh perspective, new marketing strategies, and often a revised edition, giving it a second chance to succeed.

Whether you're looking to revitalize a sluggish sales curve or simply give your book a second chance to shine, relaunching can be a savvy strategy to get your book back in the spotlight. Source

CLN’s relaunch of the Answers May Vary Guidebook started with the simple goal of turning the existing guidebook into an interactive PDF. We wanted to draw your attention to the strategies and effective practices that are the heart of this resource.

The strategies covered within Answers May Vary are specific methods you can try with a learner:

RAP (Read, Ask yourself what it means, Put it in your own words)
Chunking
Use as many senses and learning styles as possible
LEA (Language Experience Approach)
Make it fun
Assisted or Echo Reading
KWL (what I Know, what I Want to know, what I Learned)
Phonics

Effective practices are broader and refer to general ways of being with a learner that will help them on their learning journey. The effective practices to build literacy into everyday life include:

Be person-centered
Be strengths-based
Use materials from daily life
Patience
Respect
Positive encouragement

Most importantly, we wanted to share the Answers May Guidebook in a way that feels authentic, accessible and engaging. Imagine I dropped this Guidebook off in your office, we were chatting over coffee and I said, "one second, I have something that will help", or maybe I left this in the library, and you flipped through it to (a) find the owner and (b) see what bits were marked up. However you 'found' it, I hope the Answers May Vary Guidebook makes you feel encouraged and excited to incorporate literacy skills into the daily lives of adults with developmental disabilities.

So read the guidebook in order or not. Take whatever is useful to you in your situation with the person you are working with. Make it work for both of you and have fun! (page 8)

Here’s a sneak peek at the updated Copyright page:

You’ll note that we were able to collect the many components of the Answers May Vary resources - including handouts, videos and audio files - in one place.

And the best part? We have included even more voices and experiences from the field. Check out the Acknowledgements page:

The sheer number of names added to this page speaks volumes to the value of this resource, the usefulness of the strategies and effective practices and, most importantly, helps us better understand the unique context, strengths, and literacy needs of adults with developmental disabilities. While the strategies and effective practices are applicable and beneficial to all adult foundational learners the Answers May Vary Guidebook focuses on how to incorporate literacy skills into the daily lives of adults with developmental disabilities. This Guidebook serves as an important reminder that "there are not many resources or programs that help adults with developmental disabilities to improve their literacy and essential skills" (page 7).

We are happy to (re)introduce you to an excellent resource that does exactly that.