Recognizing that assigning a term to describe adults whose literacy abilities are not at an 'acceptable' level is an artificial, malleable and dehumanizing construct. Although this will not become a focus of the study, acknowledgement of the issues is necessary.

In Canada, the dominant measure of adult literacy level for the past decade (for better or for worse) has been the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS). Close to half of all Canadians fall within the first two out of five levels of the IALS, and approximately 22 per cent are at Level One (Statistics Canada, 1996). It is the adults at Level One who are most likely to feel they have a need to improve their literacy skills. Subsequently, it is only the adults at Level One who are likely to participate in an adult literacy education program. Based on descriptions in the IALS, an adult whose skills are within this category might, for example, have difficulty finding the dosage requirement on a medicine label. For the purposes of this study, an adult with low literacy skills would fall into the IALS Level One category. In addition, according to current provincial program guidelines (Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, 2000), an adult literacy student must be over the age of 19 and fall into either Levels One and Two of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS).

Employment Preparation

Descriptions and definitions of employment preparation programs are usually focused on welfare–to–work programs in the United States. Although welfare–to–work programs are not mandated in Ontario, the provincial Ontario Works program stipulates that a welfare recipient must participate in one of three employment or pre–employment activities: employment training, a community placement, or education, which includes participation in a literacy program. In recent years, Ontario adult literacy programs have seen a 45 percent increase in the number of Ontario Works participants in literacy programs (A. Rachlis, Keynote Speech, LBS Manager's Day, May 7, 2003).