43 Million Americans -- said to include R. Kelly -- Struggle To Read And Write via ABC News

43 Million Americans -- said to include R. Kelly -- Struggle To Read And Write

ABC News: 7.29.2019 by Meghan Keneally

PIAAC

George is a 79-year-old retiree who ran a car detailing business for two decades, repaired airplanes, served as a deacon in his church and has nine children.

Brittani Bellamy is a 28-year-old who just recently got her own apartment, is practicing to get her driver’s license and works at Universal Studios.

They may not be at similar stages in their lives, but they share one defining characteristic: they’re among the estimated 43 million Americans who struggle to read or write.

The issue of adult literacy was cast into the spotlight recently when the legal team for singer R. Kelly cited his long-rumored illiteracy as to why he didn't show up to court for a sex abuse lawsuit. He is also facing a slew of criminal sex abuse charges, which he has always denied.

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The notion that all or most native English speakers in America know how to read and write -- at least on a basic level -- is widespread and false, research shows.

The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, which is cited by the U.S. Department of Education, defines literacy as “the ability to understand, evaluate, use and engage with written texts to participate in society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential.” It divides the population into five levels -- with levels 2 and above being considered literate.

According to PIAAC, one in five U.S. adults has "low literacy" skills, which includes those classified as being either level 1 or below.

There are an estimated 26.5 million adults at level 1 according to PIAAC -- those who can read and write at the most basic level but couldn’t read a newspaper or would have trouble filling out forms at a doctor’s office. Another estimated 8.4 million people are below level 1 and considered "functionally illiterate." There are also 8.2 million others who were unable to participate in the survey because of either a language barrier or a cognitive or physical inability, and the PIAAC data classifies them as also having low literacy abilities.    READ MORE >>