What They Say

Functionally-illiterate English-speaking adults typically report the following:

• Never learned phonics—They state that they can’t read because they can’t figure out how to sound out words.
• “Stupid” or “You’ll never learn nothin’”—They report that a teacher or family member said these things (or worse) to them. These adult learners haven’t forgotten. Unfortunately, they have come to believe that they can’t learn.
• Difficulty focusing—They are often distracted by others around them and the size of tasks.
• Forget easily—Short-term memory problems abound in this population. Showing them something once will not result in learning.
• Scared—Someone will find out their secret. Initially our enrollees don’t want people to know where they are spending their time.
• “I’m the only one”—They are certain that no one else has literacy issues.