A program at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine is improving the adult literacy rate one word at a time.

"Before I came here, I couldn't even fill out an application," Donald Green says about the Fisher Landau program at the Bronx college. According to Director Dr. Mary Kelly, he's not alone. "There are intelligent adults - some who have graduated high school - who cannot read the words on a menu, don't understand road signs and couldn't decipher the words on [an] awning," Kelly says.

Most of the people attending the program suffer from dyslexia, which makes it difficult to learn how to read or acquire writing skills. Students get individualized instruction for the first year then move on to more advanced classroom settings.

The director says the program is one of two in the city that caters to adults with dyslexia. Kelly says the program has helped about 600 people since it started 15 years ago.

Related information:Fisher Landau program at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine 718-430-3900