Learning to read as an adult

These concepts may not help your character, but I work with young deaf adults more proficient with sign language who have need to improve reading and writing English.

Of course phonics is out, as none can "sound out" or rhyme a word. Sight-reading--recognizing how words look--is the useful skill.

My point here is that I've noticed many hearing adults do better learning to sight-read whole words than try to "hook" them on phonics.

It's going to be determined by the adult and those teaching him. In general, it should take from a few weeks to a few months, with smarter and more motivated students taking a few weeks to get the basics down and a few more months to reading newspapers...

FR

I have a friend who dropped out of school while in the 6th grade. He was one of those kids who just got pushed along. At age 40 he remained illiterate. Determined to get all the stories he had in his head on paper he sat down with a yellow ruled pad, a pencil and a dictionary and taught himself how to read and write. He says he's still learning, especially how to manage grammar without the aid of a teacher at his elbow.
I'm not at all sure I could have done it!
C

I had a job in a factory a few years ago and worked with a 30-odd year old illiterate man. He had a driving licence, even though he couldn't read numberplates (when it came to the numberplate reading part of the test, he told the instructor his eyesight was fine, it was just he couldn't read. The instructor passed him. This was years before they brought the theory test in).
He had bank accounts and kids enrolled in schools. His wife was literate and must have done all the paperwork. All in all, he was quite a happy fellow, and lived quite a normal life.

Sorry, that doesn't answer your question. I just wanted to say that with support, an illiterate person can get by. As for the timescale of learning to read, why not try ringing Learn Direct? (no link, sorry, but google them.) They specialise in adult and remedial courses and might give you some good info on your original Q.

Ditto what Finbar said. I used to tutor adults who were illiterate and it depended strongly on their motivation. I would say a few months would be fairly standard. Much, much longer for those who weren't so motivated.

I taught my dd to read when she was four using the DISTAR program and wonder how adults would fare with it. It's a hundred lessons, one a day, in fifteen minutes, and gets you up to about a 2nd grade level. Very easy.