The purpose of this research study was to prove if students who are intellectually disabled can obtain phonemic awareness and the ability to read independently with the use of Wilson's Fundations. This study aims to investigate if students who have been identified as intellectually disabled are able to gain phonemic awareness by using Wilson's Fundations in a self-contained setting. Most research has focused on students who are not identified as intellectually disabled. In this mixed method action research study, the students were given a first-grade reading fluency test and a first-grade word reading test for six weeks as the quantitative data. Both instruments were tested using a two-tail t-test. All five participants showed growth over the six weeks on both tests. But due to the low population, the test was proved insignificant. The qualitative data was obtained from student observations and interviews with the paraprofessionals. The qualitative data from these sources supported the research questions. Common themes were found in both sources, and there was an indication that the students were able to read independently. The findings suggest that students with intellectual disabilities can read independently and gain phonemic awareness. The low number of participants and the length of time was a limitation of this study. Future research is needed with a higher number of students with intellectual disabilities and a longer amount of time to validate the quantitative data and support the qualitative data. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]