CLEVELAND — Adult literacy rates are declining, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Data from 2023 shows 28% of adults in the U.S. scored at or below the lowest literacy level, up from 19% in 2017.

Good Morning Cleveland anchor Tiffany Tarpley spoke to a local man and woman who are overcoming literacy challenges later in life.

"My senior year I knew I wasn't going to graduate, so with all the embarrassment I left," said 50-year-old Norman Wilson.

Wilson is now on a mission to finish what he started decades ago.

"I wanted to pursue my GED, but in trying to figure out who I was, I just got involved in kind of the wrong thing and just never got back around to it," said Wilson.

Wilson enrolled in the Aspire program about a year ago. The program offers free education resources

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