Essay On Adult Literacy

Literacy as defined by the National Assessment of Adult Literacy is the ability to use printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one 's goals, and to develop one 's knowledge and potential. Illiteracy or being illiterate is the exact opposite, it is being unable to read or write successfully. In America illiteracy is a major problem. In fact “illiteracy is such a problem that in our country 44 million adults are unable to read a simple story to their children” (Staggering). The fact that 44 million adults cannot read a bedtime story to their beloved children is a fact that most of us cannot even begin to fathom. The staggering statistics about adult illiteracy only continues from there. “ Overall fifty percent of cannot …show more content…
Due to being illiterate, keeping a job or getting one can be extremely challenging; therefore, most illiterate adults rely on government handouts and welfare because it is the only source of income they can receive to support the ones they care for. Because finding or maintaining a job to support themselves is extremely difficult, Illiterate adults typically fall into poverty or the lower or non-working class and are reduced to only being able to survive by collecting government handouts. To prove, three out of four people on welfare cannot read (are illiterate)” (Staggering). Alongside being on welfare, fifty percent of illiterate adults are unemployed and state that they have no hope to obtaining a job” (Dunn) With these adults having no hope of obtaining a job they will struggle to lift themselves out of poverty and support themselves and are more likely to become long term recipients of welfare or other sorts of government aide. Overall, the troubles burdened upon people because of illiteracy does not stop there, the troubles caused by illiteracy also affects children who live in low income