This guide is designed to assist volunteer tutors participating in an adult literacy program. Discussed in the first chapter are the meaning of the term functional literacy, the way in which we get meaning from print, and word identification skills. The next two sections deal with the history of literacy education in industrialized countries and volunteer literacy efforts in the United States. Examined next are some of the reasons why adults cannot read and the attitudes of many nonreaders. The next several sections include some general do's and don'ts for tutors as well as specific techniques for teaching vocabulary, spelling, writing, and reading comprehension. Guidelines are also set forth for setting up a neighborhood reading center, using computer-assisted tutoring techniques, and helping students visit and use a library. A chapter on dyslexia concludes the guide. Appendixes to the handbook contain an informal reading inventory, a reading placement test, job descriptions for a reading center coordinator and a volunteer reading aide, sample instructional materials, a list of study techniques, and a selected bibliography. (MN)