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 & Thursday: 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Saturday 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Read about the Kentucky Unit's Record-A-Thon!

Volunteer Information:
The Kentucky Unit utilizes volunteers in three areas of operation: board membership, audio production and educational outreach. The board of directors and the executive director are responsible for the overall management and financial support of the unit. Audio production includes all those 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 teacher training and technical assistance in the implementation of an audio books program for students with print disabilities.

Contact Information:
Joel Redle, Studio Director
e-mail: jredle@rfbd.org

Margie Seay, Outreach Coordinator
e-mail: mseay@rfbd.org

Board of Director Information:
The board of directors consists of 15 people from a broad range of community, professional and business backgrounds. They are responsible for hiring the executive director and assists with fundraising efforts 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. Since directing is excellent training for learning the conventions required of readers, we ask that volunteers who desire to become readers direct for at least eight sessions before auditioning in whatever subject matter they are most comfortable and qualified.
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 reader's 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 in the reader's book to the director's copy before that portion of the book can be recorded. A volunteer can do this with very little training.
Quality Control - Check the recorded material to assure meeting the standards of the master library.
Product Duplication - Duplicate and mail materials to the borrowers.

In addition to the studio director, there are four part-time
studio associates who supervise production activity. They are
Lee Adams, Ginny Darrah, Jane Hardin and Lynda Franklin. Self-directed reading and other tasks can be done anytime the studio is open with a staff person present. Scheduled sessions that pair up readers and directors include the following:
9:00 a.m. Monday - Saturday
11:00 a.m. Monday - Friday
1:00 p.m. Monday - Thursday
3:00 p.m. Monday - Thursday
5:30 p.m. Monday & Tuesday
6:30 p.m. Wednesday & Thursday

Dan Jacobs serves as technical coordinator for the Kentucky
Unit. He plays a vital role in maintaining computer equipment to
support production and office activity.

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 schools and school systems to make sure they know what is available and how to use the programs offered. As a new position created by the Kentucky Unit in the past year, this office provides different but important tasks for volunteers to assist the coordinator.

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.

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