A Survey Of Adult Literacy Provision For People With Intellectual Disabilities

This report documents the current situation in Australia with respect to literacy learning of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Information for the study was obtained in the following ways: literature review; a survey of services offered in Australia (respondents were 90 principals/directors/presidents; 201 service providers; 37 correctional service institutions; 108 course convenors; 102 teachers/tutors; and 205 community agencies); a study of the competencies and needs of a sample of 18 adults with intellectual disabilities in their work environments; and 5 special projects focusing on providing literacy services for people with intellectual disabilities. The report is organized in three volumes. Volume 1 comprises an overview of the project, an executive summary, and conclusions and recommendations. Volume 2 contains the literature reviews, results of studies and questionnaire surveys, and the five special project reports: "Study of the Provision of Adult Literacy/Numeracy to Adults with Intellectual Disabilities at Rockhampton College of Technical and Further Education (TAFE)" (Simonds); "Study of the Support Offered to Students with Intellectual Disabilities at Redlands Community College" (Laakso); "Assessment of Literacy Skills Using Facilitated Communication" (Attwood, Remington-Gurney); "Investigation of the Use of Rebuses, and the Strategy of Symbol Fading To Enhance the Literacy Skills of Twelve Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities" (Woolard, Groves); and "Report on an Adult Literacy Tutor Training Program for Caregiver/Supervisors Who Work with Adults with Moderate/Severe Intellectual Disabilities at Rockhampton College of TAFE" (Harreveld). Volume 3 has three sections: (1) 12 appendices containing the questionnaires and lists of survey respondents; (2) 11 appendices of participant profiles and sample materials from the Rockhampton College study; and (3) 9 appendices of sample materials from the Redlands Community College project. (KC)

Review of Adult Learning and Literacy: Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice, Volume 7, is the newest volume in a series of annual publications of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) that address major issues, the latest research, and the best practices in the field of adult literacy and learning. Each Review opens with an overview of significant recent developments in the field of adult literacy followed by a set of chapters presenting in-depth reviews of research and best practices on topics of high interest to the field, and concludes with a Resources section. Chapter topics in Volume 7: *Persistence: Helping Adult Students Reach Their Goals *Achieving Adult Education Program Quality *Assistive Technology and Adult literacy *Individualized Group Instruction *Health Literacy *Research on Professional Development and Teacher Change *Opportunities, Transitions, and Risks: Perspectives on Adult Literacy and Numeracy Development in Australia *Adult Basic Education in South Africa *Annotated Bibliography on Workplace Education The Review of Adult Learning and Literacy serves as the journal of record for the field and is an essential resource for all stakeholders who need to know what research can reveal about how best to serve adult learners. The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) is a federally funded research and development center focused solely on adult learning. NCSALL's efforts are dedicated to improving practice in educational programs that serve adults with limited literacy and English language skills, and those without a high school diploma. For more information on NCSALL, please visit http://www.ncsall.net/.

To satisfy federal requirements, the National Center for Education Statistics and the Division of Adult Education and Literacy planned a nationally representative household sample survey to assess the literacy skills of the adult population of the United States, to be conducted by the Educational Testing Service with the assistance of Westat, Inc. This report describes the development of the National Adult Literacy Survey framework, the development of the background questionnaire, the development of simulation tasks, state adult literacy surveys, and participants in the development process. Results from the survey will provide policymakers and others with information on the condition of literacy in the United States. The field test was conducted in 1991, and the main data collection took place in 1992 with a sample of 14,900 adults aged 16 years and older living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Black and Hispanic households were oversampled to ensure reliable estimates of their literacy proficiencies. Results will describe the literacy skills demonstrated by the total adult population as well as by adults comprising various sub-groups and will characterize these skills in terms of demographic and personal background information. Seven tables present information about the samples. An appendix of sample tasks contains some of the prose, document, and quantitative tasks adults were asked to complete. (SLD)

The Office of Technology Assessment reviewed the nation's literacy problem and the current and potential impact of using technologies in adult literacy programs. Data were collected from 2 workshops, 155 contributors and reviewers, 60 existing literacy programs, and 6 contractor reports. The information is summarized in this eight-chapter report. Chapter 1 is a summary and outline of policy issues and options. Chapter 2 examines the changing nature of literacy, the demographics of adult literacy, and the need for literacy education. The special needs of adult learners and the role of technology in meeting them is discussed in Chapter 3. Chapters 4 and 5 describe the existing system of literacy education and the federal role in it. Promising roles for technology in improving literacy education are outlined in Chapter 6. Chapter 7 deals with access/barriers to technology use in existing literacy programs, and Chapter 8 assesses the future role of technology in literacy education. Appendixes include the following: a list of the report's boxes, figures, and tables; information on major federal adult literacy/basic skills programs and key coordination provisions in literacy legislation; a glossary and list of acronyms; and lists of the study's reviewers and contributors. (MN)

Results of a 2-year effort to analyze feedback from over 1,500 adults across the country about what literacy means to them. This report contains both a synthesis of adult learner perspectives on National Education Goal 6, and examples of the actual essays submitted by the respondents. Includes: what it means to be literate; what it means to compete in a global economy; what it means to exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship; voices of adults on welfare; and voices of adults in prison and treatment centers.

The National Adult Literacy Survey profiled the literacy of U.S. adults based on their performance on tasks reflecting materials and demands of daily life. Data were gathered through interviews with a random sample of 13,600 people over 16, a survey of 1,000 adults in each of 12 states, and interviews with 1,100 prison inmates, making a total of 26,000 adults surveyed. Participants completed a series of literacy tasks and received proficiency scores on three scales measuring prose, document, and quantitative literacy. They were categorized in five levels. Major findings were as follows: (1) 40-44 million adults were at the lowest level, of whom 25% were immigrants, 62% did not complete high school, and 19% had visual difficulties; (2) 50 million at level 2 had difficulty with higher reading and problem-solving skills; (3) most at levels 1-2 rated their reading/writing as well or very well--they could meet most needs with limited skills; (4) 61 million were at level 3, 34-40 million at levels 4-5; (5) young adults were less proficient than those surveyed in 1985; (6) older adults were more likely to have limited skills; (7) many minorities and prison inmates were more likely to be at levels 1-2, due to fewer years of schooling or limited English proficiency; (8) higher levels correlated with being employed, working more weeks, and having higher wages; and (9) 41-44% of level 1 and 4-8% of levels 4-5 were in poverty. (Appendices include definitions and 31 data tables. Document includes 13 other tables and 26 figures.) (SK)

Examines the widespread phenomenon of poor literacy skills in adults across the globe This handbook presents a wide range of research on adults who have low literacy skills. It looks at the cognitive, affective, and motivational factors underlying adult literacy; adult literacy in different countries; and the educational approaches being taken to help improve adults’ literacy skills. It includes not only adults enrolled in adult literacy programs, but postsecondary students with low literacy skills, some of whom have reading disabilities. The first section of The Wiley Handbook of Adult Literacy covers issues such as phonological abilities in adults who have not yet learned to read; gender differences in the reading motivation of adults with low literacy skills; literacy skills, academic self-efficacy, and participation in prison education; and more. Chapters on adult literacy, social change and sociocultural factors in South Asia and in Ghana; literacy, numeracy, and self-rated health among U.S. adults; adult literacy programs in Southeastern Europe and Turkey, and a review of family and workplace literacy programs are among the topics featured in the second section. The last part examines how to teach reading and writing to adults with low skills; adults’ transition from secondary to postsecondary education; implications for policy, research, and practice in the adult education field; educational technologies that support reading comprehension; and more. Looks at the cognitive processing challenges associated with low literacy in adults Features contributions from a global team of experts in the field Offers writing strategy instruction for low-skilled postsecondary students The Wiley Handbook of Adult Literacy is an excellent book for academic researchers, teacher educators, professional developers, program designers, and graduate students. It’s also beneficial to curriculum developers, adult basic education and developmental education instructors, and program administrators, as well as clinicians and counselors who provide services to adults with reading disabilities.