The development of adult literacy provision in the United Kingdom from the 1960s onwards can be divided into three parts that correspond to significant shifts in approaches to adult literacy. First, the discovery of adult "illiteracy" during the 1960s led to government grants, a national Right to Read Campaign, and the development of local practice and experience. Second, there was a period of consolidation during the 1970s and early 1980s around the principle of learner-centered approaches, with minimal assessment procedures and central direction, and a growing body of expertise among practitioners who also began to undertake their own action research. The government-funded agency, Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit, consolidated and became expert in the production of materials, guidelines for good practice, and small research projects. A membership organization emerged for bridging academic/research and practitioner interests: Research and Practice in Adult Literacy. The third phase, which began in the late 1980s and continues currently, has involved a considerable shift of policy and focus, under pressure from a government concerned with ensuring that education generally responds to national and economic needs. The major finding is that literacy programs, curricula, and assessment should be addressed to the specificity of experience in different places and times. (Contains 82 references.) (YLB)