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Volunteers in Tutoring Adult Learners (VITAL) provides a safe and respectful learning environment for adults who want to improve their reading, writing, or English-language skills. It offers tutoring, English language groups, and helps learners prepare for the driver's license and citizenship tests. Fill out the request form to get started.

Adults of all ages, nationalities, and economic and social backgrounds are welcome. VITAL’s learner-centric approach accommodates different learning styles by providing individualized lesson plans and high-quality resources.

Not sure if VITAL is right? Successful students are motivated to learn and have decided for themselves to participate. VITAL might be for someone who has difficulty:

  • Reading, writing, or speaking in English
  • Sounding out words
  • Understanding the newspaper
  • Filling out forms 
  • Learning in a group setting
  • Having conversations in English

Adults who struggle with these skills may have dyslexia. Dyslexia affects reading and spelling abilities, and impacts one out of five people. Take a look at our What is Dyslexia? page for information and resources about dyslexia.

VITAL may not always be equipped to serve all learner applicants. Indiana University students are not eligible for one-on-one tutoring. Here are some additional educational and literacy organizations that may be able to assist adult learners. Try these ideas for talking with a friend or client about reading.