32 Million U.S. Adults are "Functionally Illiterate"... What Does That Even Mean?

32 Million U.S. Adults are "Functionally Illiterate"... What Does That Even Mean? | Intellectual Takeout:
"In a few of our blog posts we’ve mentioned the statistic that 32 million (1 in 7) adults in the U.S. are considered “functionally illiterate.” 
...The most frequently referenced definition of “functional literacy” is from UNESCO’s conference in 1978:
“A person is functionally literate who can engage in all those activities in which literacy is required for effective functioning of his group and community and also for enabling him to continue to use reading, writing and calculation for his own and the community’s development.”
The UNESCO definition implies that a functionally literate person possesses a literacy level that equips him or her to flourish in society.
A functionally illiterate person, on the other hand, may be able to perform very basic reading and writing, but cannot do so at the level required for many societal activities and jobs.  
...Last year, a CNN article also pointed out that there are many college athletes are functionally illiterate. Indeed, it’s been estimated that 19% of high school graduates fall into that category.
...Major U.S. corporations such as Ford and Motorola have sponsored remedial reading programs to bring their employees up to a functional level of literacy.” 
...According to the findings of the survey, 14% (1 in 7) of adults fell into the category of “Below Basic” in “Prose Literacy,” meaning that they possess “no more than the most simple and concrete literacy skills.” 
Those who fall into this category are deemed “functionally illiterate...”