A program was developed to provide adult basic education (ABE) to kidney patients while they are receiving dialysis treatment. The program, which relies on an individualized learning approach, involved the coordinated efforts of the following parties: West Virginia Dialysis Facilities, Inc.; the Charleston Renal Group; and the Kanawha County Adult Basic Education Program. As of November 1984, approximately 45 individuals of the 60 receiving treatment at the dialysis facility were enrolled in the program. Instruction was provided to these patients in the following subject areas: basic academic skills, skill improvement, preparation for the General Educational Development Test, basic life-coping skills, and exercise. After 13 months of operation, the program had gained a high level of acceptance by the unit's staff and by the program participants; participants looked forward to the days when they would have something to do while receiving dialysis treatment, were proud of their achievements in the program, seemed to lose some of their feelings of nervousness toward the treatment, and manifested an overall improvement in their self-concept and self-esteem levels. The sensitivity of the teachers to patients' individual needs, the program's flexibility, and the use of the individualized learning approach were cited as the three factors most responsible for the success of the program. (MN)