Member Profiles

Samara Rosen

"Dyslexia is my worst enemy, and yet it challenges me at the same time. I have overcome many obstacles that having dyslexia has presented, and I have had to learn how to cope with my disability by relearning how to read. Books on tape have helped me tremendously."

Samara Rosen was diagnosed with dyslexia at age 8 and remembers feeling like she didn't know what normal was. Her brother has Familial Dysautonomia, a rare genetic disease of the autonomic nerve cells. Things that seemed to come naturally for others were somehow harder for her and her family.

Reading slower than the rest of her class caused Samara to fall behind, but then she came up with a system. She found RFB&D and started using the audio textbooks while using a blank bookmark to underline the sentence in her book. This allowed her to follow along more easily and finish her reading along with the other students in her class.

"Hearing the printed word at a faster pace than I am able to read helps me keep up with my studies," Samara said. "With books on tape, reading out loud, and my handy dandy bookmark, I have been able to succeed in my academics."

Samara is learning to cope with her learning disability, but she remembers how people treated her differently and still sees how people treat her brother. However, she has learned to convey those frustrations and emotions through her artwork.

"My brother is my hero and my best friend. He always reminds me that, 'The artist's mistake is the artist's masterpiece.' Perhaps God's mistakes in people with disabilities are his greatest masterpieces for all of us to experience."

Samara Rosen is in the 12th grade at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, Texas and she has a 4.1 GPA. She is in the Houston Boychoir and is an audition facilitator and art aid in the Visual Arts Department at her school. Samara also designs posters and brochures and volunteers with holiday decorations and cancer counseling.

Andrea Bolognini

"Since I was determined to get good grades, I was spending about four hours reading and rereading to comprehend each chapter. Once I was told about RFB&D audiobooks and received the history textbook on CD, I was able to listen and follow along with each chapter in about an hour's time. So, the time I had been spending reading I was now able to devote to other subjects, studying, or sleeping which is something all college students lack."

Andrea Bolognini knew that when she got to college neither her mom nor her teachers would be able to read her textbooks aloud to her anymore. The amount and level of reading would dramatically increase, and the assistance she was used to from her small school in Phoenix would no longer be available.

When Andrea got to college, her dyslexia caused the 60 to 80 pages in history class each week to hinder her from finishing work in the rest of her classes. Studying another language was also a problem since Andrea had never heard the proper pronunciation for each word.

RFB&D's audio textbooks changed the amount of time and energy Andrea spent on each word. "By using the CDs, I was able to see, hear, and at times if I was having trouble focusing, I was also able to read the words out loud with the voice on the CD," Andrea said.

Spanish was easier because she heard the correct pronunciation of each word while following along in the book. History chapters took one hour instead of four. Time spent struggling through her reading was devoted to other subjects and outside school activities.

"These books on CD have helped me a great deal and I think they can help anyone with a print disability," Andrea said. "This is something I suggest to anyone with a print disability; take the work one subject at a time, or as my dad always used to tell me, the word one letter at a time."

Andrea Bolognini is a sophomore at Concordia University in Austin, Texas. She is currently maintaining a 4.0 GPA. As an active campus representative, Andrea is a member of the Director of Christian Education club, the biology club, the Student's Leadership Association, and the Student Activities Coordination. She also volunteers at her church and is part of the Christian Youth Ministry Team.

Michelle Nicoud

"RFB&D's CD's put me on the same level as other students by eliminating much of the extra time reading once required."

Michelle Nicoud was determined to maintain a normal class load even though strabismus and cerebral palsy caused reading and writing to come slower for her. School nights did not mean going to bed on time to get ready for the next day, but staying up for hours studying. "I'm exhausted, but getting behind is not an option as reading more the next night would be an almost insurmountable task," Michelle said.

In high school, Michelle's parents would stay up and read to her, but in college she had to search for another accommodation. She found RFB&D at a community college she attended before her freshman year at Texas Christian University. "I jumped at the opportunity immediately as the phrase, 'This could be my answer' flew through my head," Michelle recalled.

The audio textbooks provided by RFB&D helped Andrea increase her reading to 20 pages in an hour from 7 to 12 pages. "Without the frustration of constantly taking two to three times longer to read than other students, I now have the freedom to eat lunch with my friends, go to functions in my dorm and work for the newspaper." Michelle said.

Michelle Nicoud is a sophomore at TCU. She is studying in the College of Communication and has a 3.64 GPA. Michelle is a writer for the TCU Daily Skiff, a member of the Sociology club and a volunteer for TCU LEAPS, which is a community service day.