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PASADENA UNIFIED JOINS HANDS WITH RFB&D-LA TO IMPROVE API SCORES

Students with Disabilities to Receive Help to Succeed in the Classroom

Pasadena, California, 10-03-07 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -
Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic-Los Angeles (RFB&D-LA) announces that a grant they recently received from the Weingart Foundation to benefit underserved students with disabilities will benefit all 30 schools in the Pasadena Unified School District. PUSD, suffering from low API (Academic Performance Index) scores, welcomes this opportunity to give students with learning disabilities a tool to succeed in the classroom. One in five students have some sort of learning disability like dyslexia, and thousands will drop out of school if they don't get help. RFB&D records textbooks for students of all ages with vision impairments, physical disabilities and learning disabilities. Students are able to Learn Through Listening® with RFB&D's audio textbooks, which helps build their self esteem and confidence to succeed in the classroom.

As part of RFB&D-LA's commitment to PUSD, each school will receive up to 25 audio textbooks on CD, and one specialized CD player, along with on-site and ongoing training from RFB&D-LA's Educational Outreach Department. RFB&D-LA will also include open houses and community events to involve teachers and parents while students learn studying and skill-building exercises. Kathleen MacInnes, Assistive Technology Specialist for Special Education at PUSD said, "We have used RFB&D-LA to provide our special education students with recorded books for years; we are thrilled that our schools will now have increased access to RFB&D and will be able to provide support to many more students."

RFB&D is a unique national nonprofit organization that records audio textbooks for students of all ages with vision, physical and learning disabilities, offering their services for nearly 60 years. RFB&D-LA serves approximately 3,500 students with print disabilities in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

The Weingart Foundation focuses its grant making on programs that address the needs of the underserved and the general community. It supports a variety of health, education, arts and culture, and human services programs in Southern California, and is one of the major private foundations in the United States.

For further information, visit RFB&D-LA's website at www.rfbd.org/LA, or contact Educational Outreach Director Melissa Hennen at 323-664-5525 x103 or mhennen@rfbd.org.

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Media Contact Only: Diane Kelber, Communications Director,
323-664-5525 x104; diane@rfbdla.org