KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — According to The Literacy Project, 45 million Americans are functionally illiterate and cannot read above a fifth-grade level. New data also shows one out of every two adults cannot read a book written at an eighth-grade level.
10News spoke to the Friends of Literacy nonprofit. Program Director Kristin Yarnell said they work with adult students to improve their reading skills. However, she said it's not the bulk of the work they do because of the complexity of the issue.
"It is really hard to learn to read as an adult because it takes just as long," Yarnell said. "It takes somebody two to three years to learn to read as an adult."
Many Friends of Literacy's adult students will end up dropping out of reading classes because they cannot commit to a year-long process.
"It is a hard thing to do," Yarnell confessed. "We have to meet once a week to work on those skills with a tutor and then, of course, a little bit of time at home by themselves or with a friend—but carving out that time is hard."
The program director emphasized how difficult it is for adults to be successful when they struggle with reading. "They don't have basic enough reading skills to read menus all the way or instructions or items at the grocery store. It's impacting their daily lives."
A lack of proficiency in reading can also stall a job search and create struggles with income.
The nonprofit says they usually have two kinds of adult learners: Some who have just never had the time to learn to read and others who have had no support or have learning disabilities.
For adults wanting to get started, Friends of Literacy can either help you or refer you to local agencies that can help.
Yarnell emphasized that most importantly, those who want to learn how to read need to want it for themselves.
"It can't be somebody referring them to us. They kind of have to have that intrinsic motivation that they want this because we can't accomplish it in a couple of meetings," Yarnell said.
For more information, you can contact Friends of Literacy here.