Abstract
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Current reports of literacy rates in Australia indicate an ongoing
gap in literacy skills between Indigenous and non-Indigenous
Australian adults, at a time when the literacy demands of work
and life are increasing. There are many perspectives on what are
the literacy needs of Indigenous adults,from the perspectives of
community members themselves to the relatively under-researched
perspective of literacy practitioners. This paper provides the
insights, experiences and recommendations from adult literacy
practitioners who work with adult Indigenous learners in
communities across Australia. Focus group interviews, using an online synchronous platform, were used to elicit views about the
literacy needs of Indigenous adults in communities and the successes
in and barriers to meeting those needs. The practitioners also shared
their views on the use of technology in literacy learning. Together,
these views can informfuture directions in curriculum design and
teaching approaches for community-based Indigenous adult literacy
education.