18 months ago
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Leroy Wommack is 62-years-old and retired from the construction business. He reads below the 5th grade level.
"What's frustrating for me is I can't pronounce it," says Wommack.
Missy Anderson is a tutor for the Literacy Action of Central Arkansas, a program part of the Arkansas Adult Literacy Councils.
"Leroy is very intelligent and functions very well. It's amazing. They live productive lives with this horrendous handicap," says Anderson.
Wommack is part of the 14% of Arkansas adults who can't read.
Many of the students have a high school education, but Wommack says teachers passed him along anyways.
He dropped out in 11th grade. He learned how to read blue prints, but has problems reading a children's book. In the last four months he's made significant gains.
"This will be the first year I do taxes by myself," says Wommack.
"He's a superb mechanic and there are magazines he would enjoy reading about mechanics," says Anderson.
LaVerne Lynch is a tutor in the North Little Rock program.
"You want to be able to read your newspaper or read your bible," says Lynch.
Some of her students read English as a second language but most were born here and have high school diplomas.
"They're not learning to read from day one," says Lynch.
Yet, she says they're determined to learn. Whether it's to further their education and get a better job or some are like Wommack, who are retired and want to fulfill something they've always wanted.
"I wanted to learn to read for years," says Wommack.
To find an Adult Literacy Councils program in your county call: 1-800-264-read (7323)
The National Center for Education Statistics conducted the report that studied adults in 2003. The literacy of adults who lack basic skills ranges from being unable to read and understand any written information in English to being able to locate easily identifiable information in short, commonplace prose text, but nothing more advanced.
