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FACT
Typing and texting on cell phones and computers have caused us to lose the ability to write legibly. We spend so many hours every day at some form of keyboard, we're losing the creative act of forming letters and numbers by hand. We will ALWAYS need to write information down on paper at some point, even if we prefer to use a computer for most of our communication needs.
BUSINESS
"The lack of good, or at least legible handwriting can cause problems throughout life, handwriting advocates say. American businesses lose an estimated $200 million a year to poor penmanship through illegible checks, invoices and other paperwork, while the US Postal Service pays handwriting specialists $4 million a year to decipher illegible addresses." By Lynn Waldsmith/Detroit News - "Many believe penmanship is losing out to technology"
MEDICAL ERRORS
"In 1999 a jury awarded $450,000 to the family of a Texas man who died after a pharmacist misread the doctor's handwritten prescription."
The Detroit News - "Many Believe Penmanship is losing out to Technology."
"An estimated 1.3 million Americans are injured each year due to medical errors, such as getting the wrong dose or the wrong drug, according to the FDA. A study published last year in the medical journal Lancet estimated that between 1983 and 1993, the number of deaths caused by drug errors jumped 250 percent to more than 7,000 a year. How many of these deaths and injuries are due to name confusion? That's not clear - though the US Pharmacopeia, an industry trade group, estimates that about one-quarter of the 1,500 errors reported to its hot line each year involve mix-ups due to drug names that look alike or sound alike."
"Can Your Doctor's Poor Penmanship hurt you?" By Rob Waters
EDUCATION
Letter formation has taken such a low priority in elementary schools that traditional cursive is being replaced with a simpler style known as "Italic" or "Print Cursive" and yet students are still struggling with their handwriting due to the limited time they spend practicing.
"The mental processes involved in handwriting, experts point out, are connected to other important learning functions, such as storing information in memory, retrieving information, manipulating letters, and linking them to sound when spelling. Ironically the discovery that handwriting and composition work together to improve a child's written communication abilities comes at a time when computers are more prevalent in schools and handwriting instruction has been de-emphasized. Just because we all have computers now, we just can't ignore handwriting, especially given this research that shows it's attached to so many other mental-growth processes." Shirley Cramer - "Handwriting Instruction" and "Key to Good Writing" - by Cheryl Murfin Bond - Seattle's Child & Eastside Parent
"I believe that students SHOULD be taught penmanship in elementary school, and that they should be required to develop a legible hand. They won't always be able to use a computer to do their work. In-class essays and exams are required at every level of education, and students who cannot write - in the sense of not being able to put words down legibly on paper with a pen or pencil - are at a distinct disadvantage. It is also true that lack of practice in handwriting means that the student may not be able to write quickly enough to take adequate notes in class or to complete an in-class assignment within a strict time limit."
By Tina Blue - "Do You Remember Penmanship?
IT'S PERSONAL
"In this fast-pace world, there is something truly special about taking the time to hand write a letter. It captures emotions in a very unique way and people respond to that." Parker Spokeswoman Michele Szynal - "Penmanship Matters"
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