The teaching and learning of phonics are core elements of a balanced literacy program for people with intellectual disabilities. Studies have shown that individuals who have limited phonic and decoding skills will be unlikely to progress in their reading ability beyond an emergent level and are more likely to experience difficulty in comprehension. The authors discuss the challenges of integrating contemporary understandings about literacy practices (specifically the Four Resources Model) with a literacy program for a young adult with an intellectual disability. They identify three key strategies to meet these challenges: Knowing the learner; motivating the learner; and using multiple approaches and activities. These strategies and practical teaching approaches are illustrated with examples of the authors' work with a young man with Down syndrome. (Contains 3 tables and 4 figures.)