Kentucky Unit

Location:
240 Haldeman Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206
Phone: 502-895-9068
Fax: 502-897-1145

Hours of Operation:
Monday & Tuesday: 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m
Wednesday: 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Thursday: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Friday: 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Saturday 7:00 a.m. to Noon

Volunteer Information:
The Kentucky Unit utilizes volunteers in multiple areas of operation including board and committee membership, audio production, educational outreach, public information and fundraising. The Board of Directors and the Executive Director are responsible for the overall management and financial support of the unit. Audio production includes tasks required to place the final product in RFB&D's® master library in Princeton and to accommodate borrower distribution during this process. Educational Outreach provides technical assistance for individuals and teachers in the implementation of an audio books program for students with print disabilities.

Contact Information:
Sarah Trester, Executive Director
e-mail: strester@rfbd.org

Don King, Production Director
e-mail: dking@rfbd.org

Susan Ward, Development Director
e-mail: sward@rfbd.org

Mary Ann Reynolds, Outreach Director
e-mail: mreynolds@rfbd.org

Board of Directors Information:
The Board of Directors consists of up to 25 people from a broad range of community, professional and business backgrounds. They are responsible for hiring the Executive Director; assisting with fundraising efforts and ensuring implementation of the Annual Operating Plan for the Kentucky Unit. The board solicits individuals, corporations and foundations to fund the Unit's annual budget. Special fundraising activities such as the annual golf tournament also help support the unit.

Audio Production Information:
You can help children and adults who experience difficulty reading standard print because of a visual, perceptual or other physical disability by recording audio versions of textbooks for all grade levels through graduate school. The Kentucky Unit uses a digital recording process in all seven of its booths.

Volunteers enable Learning Through Listening® in the following subject matters: accounting, anthropology, biology, business, chemistry, computers, economics, education, finance, geography, geology, history, humanities, law, literature, management, marketing, mathematics, medicine, nursing, psychology, general science, statistics and theology.

We ask that volunteers try to commit to at least one two-hour session per week although we understand that family, work and other personal concerns come first. If something comes up conflicting with the commitment, a phone call will allow us to schedule around the absence. Studio production tasks include the following:

• Directing is the function of the person who operates the recording device for the reader. This is the first task in which most volunteers are trained.
  
• Reading provides the voice of the recording. For those wishing to read, reader training begins immediately after that for directing. Training for both directing and reading occurs one-on-one with a staff member.
  
• Self-directed Reading occurs when the reader also operates the recording equipment while reading. Only readers who WANT to do this and almost always know when they have made an error are encouraged to self-direct.
  
• Book Marking is the task of marking the first copy of the textbook with navigational aids to indicate where figures, photos, charts and other non-text elements are to be read. This is a detailed process that requires some time to learn.
• Book Copying consists of transcribing the navigational marks from the first copy to the second copy of the book. This second copy is used for a reader/director team or when two self-directed readers are recording different portions of the book at the same time. A volunteer can perform the copy function with very little training.

Educational Outreach Information:
The products and services of Recording For the Blind & Dyslexic® are often the best kept secrets in a community. The Educational Outreach Coordinator works with individuals, schools, and educational systems to make sure they know what is available and how to use the programs offered.

Make A Difference by Making A Donation:
To use our secure online server to donate to the Kentucky Unit, RFB&D headquarters, or a combination of both, see our Donate Now page. If you would like to know more about the needs of RFB&D's Kentucky Unit and how you can help through donations—including stocks, planned giving, trusts and wills—please contact Susan Ward at 502-895-9068, ext. 4.