Supporting Learning‐Disabled Adults in Literacy

Abstract

The learning difficulties of 23 adults were investigated in order to determine ways to better serve their literacy needs. These adults were all living in poverty, had less than eighth‐grade literacy levels, and had failed to graduate from high school. The participants' records were examined and structured interviews were conducted with them; also, best practices from the professional literature were researched. In addition, 10 adults who had learning difficulties throughout their schooling but graduated from high school were interviewed. These adults are all now successful in their chosen professions.The study found several learning difficulties that were common among the 23 adults (e.g., lack of organizational ability) and several that showed up in the majority (e.g., modality overload). In terms of best teaching practices, the study found many featured prominently in the literature (e.g., connecting learning to the adults' interests and purpose for learning), as well as some unique practices offered by the 10 successful adults.One of the most important conclusions reached in this study is that with sufficient determination and motivation, and with appropriate strategies, an adult with quite severe learning difficulties can succeed.