Register Now for Webinar on October 16, 2025 at 12 PM (ET)
Breaking Barriers: Practical Strategies to Support Adult Literacy
Live Webinar: Thursday, October 16, 2025
This webinar highlights the remarkable story of Arnie Stewart, author of Always Ask for Help, who journeyed from low literacy and homelessness to becoming a champion for learning, resilience, and community support. His story reflects the broader challenges and opportunities of adult education in the U.S., where nearly 59 million adults read only at the lowest literacy level.
We’ll explore how Stewart’s lived experience connects with research showing that adults with low literacy overwhelmingly value education and want to improve their skills, yet often face barriers such as cost perceptions and lack of awareness of available programs.
We’ll explore practical strategies rooted in Universal Design for Learning that make lessons accessible to all learners, and the Community of Inquiry framework, which helps create engaging, collaborative learning environments. Together, these methods remove barriers and build stronger connections for adult learners.
Plan to take away inspiration to create inclusive, collaborative pathways that not only support adults with low literacy but also strengthen workforce readiness, health outcomes, and community impact.
Meet Our Presenters
Janet Lee
Janet Lee is an educator, an author, and a global speaker on low literacy and the changes that can be made to eliminate this epidemic. Her background is varied in international K-12 and higher education, including curriculum development publications, media literacy, and micro-learning video production.
The life-changing experience working with Arnie Stewart, who is the subject of her book, Always Ask for Help, inspired Janet to start a literacy movement in Canada. Janet and Arnie travelled the country to raise awareness for adults with low literacy. Since Arnie's passing in 2012, she has continued as an educator specializing in literacy and content development.
About Dr. Kristen Stevenson
Dr. Kristen Stevenson, PhD, is focused on ensuring that all course content, whether in training, professional development, or college classes, features high-quality, student-centered materials with the applied practices of the Community of Inquiry Framework, Universal Design, and social-emotional learning (SEL). With a career largely spent in higher education, she has held various positions, including instructor, multiple leadership roles, and learning experience designer. Dr. Stevenson holds professional certifications in QM Quality Matters, Educause Equitable, Engaging, and Inclusive Online Learning, and is a registered yoga teacher.
About our Lead Moderator
Before joining eLearningDOC, Janet Staderman held pivotal roles at the University of Cincinnati in professional and continuing education, community programs, and online learning initiatives. At UC, she spearheaded the university’s first Aspire Grant-funded initiative, CTAP (Career Training Access Program), a 15-week adult education and training program designed to help unemployed and underemployed nontraditional students continue their education while gaining practical technology skills.Janet earned a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction and a Graduate Certificate in Leadership in Online Learning from the University of Cincinnati. She also holds certifications in project management, program planning, open digital badge theory and design, and web accessibility, reinforcing her commitment to accessible, outcomes-driven education.
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