This introduction provides the background for this special issue by first describing the USÁMexico border, a fascinating context in which to research issues related to SpanishÁEnglish biliteracy and multilingualism. We present main points in the prevailing discussion within the field of literacy studies about issues of multilingualism and localÁglobal contexts of literacy. Drawing from literature on transnational literacy, we examine arguments about the recontextualization of texts and literacy practices. In this volume, authors demonstrate how texts, linguistic practices, and discourses are part of the fluid traffic across the USÁ Mexico border. In the course of analyzing transfronterizo literacy practices, the articles take into account local and global contexts of literacy from different perspectives, such as colonia studies, genre studies, disciplinary discourses and identity, notions of time and space, the continua of biliteracy, and the new literacy studies. Because we see ourselves as border educators and researchers, informing educational practice in sites where these issues emerge as everyday events is the broader intent of this special issue.
Debilitating mental illness is treatable if found. There is no validated self-administered mental illness evaluation tool for immigrant Hispanic farm workers with variable literacy levels. This study tested sensitivity and specificity of an audiotaped survey developed for low literacy levels compared with standard interview instruments. Subjects from 11 migrant camps completed a self-administered audiotaped survey in Spanish to diagnose major depression, substance abuse, panic and generalized anxiety, and domestic violence. Primary care clinics assisted in finding camps and provided follow-up treatment. For 154 men and 156 women, the audio tool was most sensitive for major depression and specific for anxiety disorder, alcohol abuse, and domestic violence. Seventy percent of those diagnosed with major depression received appropriate treatment. This study validated an inexpensive, self-administered audio tool to evaluate the mental health of immigrant Hispanic farm workers with a wide range of literacy levels.
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