A study investigated effects of implementation of a new policy by the Ontario Ministry of Education that decreased grants for adults and amended the Ontario Education Act, forcing school boards to develop a parallel but "basic service" system of education for everyone over age 21. All adult students in daytime secondary school programs were asked to supply basic demographics; human rights information such as whether students had a disability or belonged to a visible minority; whether they had special education needs; and information pertaining to student knowledge of pending changes in the grant system and their possible effects. Submissions were received from 117 schools, representing 7,723 completed questionnaires. The next phase of the research examined the changes that had occurred in five Target Boards (TBs) in the year following implementation of the adult funding model. Findings indicated that TBs responded to the changes in government policy by redesigning their adult programs using a continuing education model and creating policies directing adults to the new system. This resulted in a narrowing of educational opportunities for adults. Women, visible minorities, people with disabilities, and people who registered in English as second language courses were disproportionately represented among those adults who attended secondary school programs before and after the changes in government policy. (Instruments are appended.) (YLB)