R.E.A.D.® Program Puts ITA on Front Page of the Wall Street Journal
The pilot project at the Salt Lake City Main Library for our groundbreaking program R.E.A.D.® (Reading Education Assistance Dogs) garnered Intermountain Therapy Animals a blurb on the front page of the December 2, 1999 Wall Street Journal. We had excellent local media coverage as well from both the Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune, and from Channels 2 and 5.
KSL ran a lovely piece in conjunction with Children's Book Week. The response from the librarians, the children, their parents, and the Pet Partner.® teams was resoundingly enthusiastic. In the reading environment, the therapy animals create the same atmosphere we have come to expect in healthcare settings by offering their calm, accepting, non-judgmental presence.
Two of the children at the library offered these observations:
When I read, I stutter a little bit and when I read to the dog it didn't make fun of me.
I think it might be easier to read to a dog bocause they don't tell comments about you, like "Ha ha, he can't read."
Reading Education Assistance Dogs is an idea that is so logical and so "commonsensical" that, once everyone hears it they wonder why it hasn't been done for years. Fortunately for ITA, we have Sandi Martin, RN, BSN, NCBF, on our board of directors. Sandi is Manager of Community Outreach and Volunteer Services at University of Utah Hospital, and a
longtime advocate of AAT and of personal pet visits to patients in the hospital. Sandi
put that common sense together in the middle of the night and organized the concept
of R.E.A.D.
The R.E.A.D. Program demonstrates that therapy animals can be instrumental in improving the literacy skills of children in an effective, unique and, most importantly, fun manner. Literacy specialists acknowledge that children who are below their peers in reading skills are often intimidated by reading aloud in a group, often have lower self-esteem, and view reading as a chore.
Research with therapy animals indicates that children with low self-esteem are often more willing to interact with an animal than with another person. They focus better on an activity or discussion when an animal is present, and refer back to the sessions many times in later conversation. Further, during such interaction they are inclined to forget about their limitations. There are also physiological benefits to interacting with animals, including increased relaxation and lower blood pressure. The premise of the R.E.A.D. program is that children will find reading to an animal less intimidating, a special time for them that is helpful and fun and will become a positive environment in which learning is facilitated.
Created: December 5, 1999 by Intermountain Therapy Animals
Other R.E.A.D.® press and articles
- Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D. ) Frequently Asked Questions
- Libraries and Schools that ITA R.E.A.D. Teams Visit
- "Tails for Tea"
- R.E.A.D. Training Package a Success!
- R.E.A.D. Program - 'Tails From The Field'
- READING IS FUN-DOG-MENTAL
- R.E.A.D. Presentations
- R.E.A.D. Featured on Westminster Dog Show Broadcast
- R.E.A.D. Associate Programs and Regional Workshops
- ITA Wins Major Award
- Purchase a Lucinda pin and support the R.E.A.D. program!
Other R.E.A.D.® News and Information
The R.E.A.D. Brochure
Download the R.E.A.D. brochure here (Adobe Acrobat, 117 KB)
Press and Articles
A page of references to recent press and articles about Reading Education Assistance Dogs.
Links
Links to other Reading Education Assistance Dogs and literacy resources on the Internet.
R.E.A.D. Photos
Photos of Reading Education Assistance Dogs at work.
R.E.A.D.® Program Contacts:
For more information about R.E.A.D., please contact Intermountain Therapy Animals at 801-272-3439