WASHINGTON—Question: What do a retired teacher, an auto worker and a multi-million dollar business owner have in common?

Answer: They can’t—or couldn’t—read.

National estimates suggest nearly 90 million American adults are just like them. Many would have trouble reading a headline, and it’s likely they struggle to read this story, too.

Marty Finsterbusch can read this sentence, but he has difficulty writing it – even though he holds a college degree. As the executive director of VALUE, Finsterbusch and his nonprofit group train literacy volunteers and push for better adult education programs.

Finsterbusch, who is in his forties, can read and comprehend a sentence, he said, but a learning disability makes it difficult for him to write. He uses computer programs to read emails and dictate messages.

“My reading level is there, but I can’t put it in writing,” Finsterbusch said.

National surveys suggest that illiteracy is most common among the poor and immigrants. Finsterbusch’s entire organization, based in Media Pa., is run by highly-functioning adults who can neither read nor write.

Since he joined an adult education class in the mid-1980s, Finsterbusch has been involved with literacy coalitions to ensure other adults get the same opportunity. He launched VALUE in 1998 to continue pushing for education programs.

Bills introduced in the U.S. House and Senate last week could provide new resources for adult learners, including increased access, more funding and workforce and technology training. But cash alone—which could equal half a billion dollars—only skims the surface of the problem, advocates said.

National estimates suggest nearly 90 million American adults — almost a third of the country -- have some sort of reading deficiency. It could be a learning disability, or it could be poor school performance, a troubled home life or simply an immigrant struggling to learn English.

They have difficulty reading maps, paying bills and reading prescription labels.

“What’s not true is that they can’t learn at all, because people learn things all the time,” said Finsterbusch.

The Workforce Investment Act, passed in 1998, provides federal money for adult education programs that develop job skills and basic literacy. As the law comes up for reauthorization, advocates are looking to boost funding and improve opportunities.

Currently, students learn basic skills such as reading maps and job-related words. Often hosted by community organizations, students find learning centers through resources such as local libraries. Finsterbusch and his group, VALUE, also offer resources and train volunteer teachers.

But estimates suggest only about three million adults are actually getting help. The rest are stuck on waiting lists, advocates said, and most are reluctant to admit they have a problem. Instead, they mask their inability.

One VALUE member, a former teacher, encouraged his students to review verbally each others’ papers because the teacher was unable to read on his own.

“We do them a real disservice by treating them like there’s something wrong with them,” said Jeff Carter, executive director of DC LEARNs, a coalition of adult education groups in the Washington area. “They’re highly functional and talented in other ways.”

The larger problem, though, is what literacy advocates call a desperate lack of funding.

National, state and local literacy coalitions say too many need help and not enough can provide it. The literacy groups rely primarily on federal grants, local dollars and private donations, but suffer from several years of federal cutbacks and an economic recession drying up private donations. The recession, they said, is also bringing a greater number of applications for their programs.

“We’re really fighting to get a seat at the table,” said Carter.

Although Congress could offer some $550 million in grants on top of tax incentives for workforce and technology training, it’s still a long way from helping local agencies. Experts said the bills are likely to become part of the reauthorized Workforce Investment Act, which funds adult literacy programs. Congress isn’t expected to address that legislation until this fall.