How I Survived Until 32 Years Without Being Able to Read

In this moving episode of “Literacy Now, Together,” co-hosts Kareem Weaver of FULCRUM and Brett Tingley of Parents for Reading Justice sit down with Oliver James, a man who taught himself to read at 32 following a lifetime of hiding his illiteracy. During the COVID lockdown, Oliver set himself a personal challenge: learn to read. What began as a private goal became a transformative journey he now shares with hundreds of thousands online, rebuilding his confidence, deepening his relationships, and changing the course of his life. He speaks candidly about the decades he spent concealing his struggle—through incarceration, school expulsions, and personal hardship—before discovering that literacy can unlock freedom, choice, and self-respect. From embracing text-to-voice technology to working one-on-one with a reading specialist, Oliver’s story shows how literacy can open doors to opportunity and restore self-worth. His honesty inspires others to remove their own masks and seize the life-changing gift of reading.Resources:Oliver’s TikTok: @oliverspeaks1Oliver’s Instagram: @oliverspeaks1Oliver’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@oliverspeaks1___________________________________________________________Parents for Reading Justice has teamed up with FULCRUM’s Kareem Weaver to bring you "Literacy Now, Together" — a podcast mini-series that takes a closer look at the reading crisis and explores real solutions with literacy leaders and families across the country. Parents for Reading Justice is a nonprofit grassroots movement dedicated to ensuring every child learns to read by engaging parents and educators in adopting the science of teaching reading. Our mission is to activate, train, and guide parent groups to flip their school districts to evidence-based reading instruction. Our vision is to speed the nationwide shift to evidence-based literacy instruction so that 95% of students read proficiently.About Brett Tingley: https://parentsforreadingjustice.org/brett-tingley-bioAbout Kareem Weaver: https://tinyurl.com/KareemWeaverBioAbout Parents for Reading Justice: https://linktr.ee/parentsforreadingjusticeAbout FULCRUM:https://linktr.ee/fulcrumliteracy Join us on our socials, watch our documentary, take our Masterclass, register your parent group, pay it forward, and DONATE!DISCLAIMER: All information in this video is presented as our shared experience only, to help others understand our efforts and experience. Nothing presented herein should be construed as offering legal advice. We encourage everyone to seek professional legal advice for their circumstances. We welcome you to share your experiences with us on all matters relating to dyslexia as we are continuously learning new information to help push our cause to help as many people with dyslexia as possible. Thank you for your continued support!#literacynow #readinginstruction #education #awareness #teacher #teaching #fyp #change