For Immediate Release

Comedian Jonathan Winters and radio and television personality Gary Owens visited the Santa Barbara Studios of the Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic on Monday afternoon, July 11. Together they read Jonathan's Winters' Tales, a collection of short stories that he published in 1987 (Random House). The book will soon be one of the new additions to RFB&D's "Learning Through Listening" library in Princeton, New Jersey - the largest library of its kind in the world - that provides audio textbooks and general reading to those who are blind, dyslexic or experiencing other challenges with the printed word.

After the reading, Winters and Owens briefly entertained the studios' volunteer readers with Owens conducting a mock interview with Jonathan. Still in great form, Winters had the group doubling over with laughter. Turning serious for a moment, Winter's told the staff and volunteers that RFB&D was doing important work for the community and that he was glad to help.

"We are deeply honored to be adding Jonathan's book to our library so that those with print disabilities can partake in the writings of one of America's greatest artists," said Tim Owens (no relation to Gary Owens), the Santa Barbara Unit's Executive Director. "And we are even more honored that the author, himself, has agreed to read some of his own stories."

Founded in 1976, the Santa Barbara Unit of the Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic is a volunteer driven, donor-supported organization whose vision is for all people to have equal access to the printed word. The organization's 250 weekly volunteers in Santa Barbara, together with thousands of other volunteers in twenty-one other Units nationwide, create audio versions of textbooks and other educational materials for individuals who have difficulty reading or comprehending the printed word. The Santa Barbara Unit must raise its own operating revenue and receives no financial help from its headquarters in Princeton. The national organization was founded in 1948.

The ability to read and comprehend with RFB&D's Learning Through Listening textbook program has been shown to improve test scores and grades. According to a study in 2003 by Johns Hopkins University, students using RFB&D audio books for as little as 30 minutes per day demonstrated a 38% improvement in reading comprehension. With RFB&D at their side, students develop more confidence in their ability to learn and, consequently, may have a better opportunity to be more successful and productive citizens.

For more information about the Santa Barbara Unit of Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, please contact Tim Owens, Executive Director, at 805-681-0531 or e-mail towens@rfbd.org. Or, go the website at www.rfbd.org.

(Pictured left to right are Gary Owens, Tim Owens, and Jonathan Winters at the Goleta Studios of the Santa Barbara Unit of RFB&D.)