Project READ had a two-fold purpose: to improve the reading levels of diagnosed learning disabled adults, and to investigate the following research questions: (1) which of three teaching approaches selected for this study is most effective for reading disabled adults? (2) what is effective assessment? and (3) how may the impact of reading difficulty and remediation on individuals' self-esteem and emotional well-being be measured? Twenty adults, ranging from young to retired, participated for the entire 2-year program, meeting 1 hour per day, 4 days per week. The three instructional approaches used were: (1) reading from scratch--a structured, sequential, synthetic phonics curriculum; (2) reading from scratch with equipment, such as a tape recorder; and (3) a traditional adult reading approach, focusing on language experience. Students were carefully assessed and psychologically profiled before the project and posttested after the project. The study found that the direct teaching of phonics and language structure in a controlled, sequential format is more effective for learning disabled readers than is teaching in which the inclusion of phonics instruction as well as the method of its presentation are at the discretion of the teacher. Assessment methods using oral, nontimed approaches seemed best. This report includes detailed case studies on individuals and subgroups of persons participating in the program; a 27-item assessment bibliography; an 18-item curriculum bibliography; a list of 17 resource organizations; a sample intake interview; and 14 references. (KC)