As a young child, Ashley had problems with speech, but a strong personality and intelligence enabled her to keep her reading difficulties hidden for years. Finally, in tenth grade, Ashley had to choose between a regular history course or an advanced placement one. The amount of reading required for the advanced course stymied her.

“Whenever I read anything, I can’t remember what I’ve read. I can’t keep my eyes on the page,” she confessed to her parents. This admission led to a battery of tests, and to Ashley's introduction to the word "dyslexia." She learned that her brain processed information differently. This validated, finally, of the source of her frustration.

When it was recommended that she use materials from RFB&D, it seemed like a serendipitous coincidence. Only two weeks earlier, Ashley and her brother, Jason, had picked up an RFB&D bookmark in their local library, and Jason had begun volunteering at RFB&D's Philadelphia unit studio in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

By the time she graduated from high school, Ashley earned excellence awards in AP biology, AP physics and won a Science Department Award. Reflecting her remarkable progress were her SAT scores, 800 in mathematics and 650 in verbal.

Now a junior at the prestigious Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Ashley is working on her bachelor's degree in economics. Ashley states that without RFB&D's recorded texts, the dramatically increased volume of reading in college would have been nearly impossible for her. With some of the time she has been able to gain, Ashley tutors high school students who are preparing to take the SAT. This summer, she will intern for Arthur Andersen in Philadelphia as she looks forward to continuing on the business management career track.

For Tim Willis, the term “on a shoestring” has a special meaning. As a world-class runner who happens to be blind, Jim uses a shoestring to help keep him on track, serving as a communication tool between him and a specially trained guide runner. Slight tugs on the hand-held string by the guide runner tell Tim where his feet should go.

Through high school, Tim lettered in wrestling and excelled in cross-country and track — but his participation was not always easy. In 1989, the Georgia High School Association tried to ban Tim from running. Apparently, no blind runner had ever competed before. At the time, no rules existed to prevent him from running, but, some were quickly passed. The shoestring was deemed an "unfair aid." However, Tim and his parents were undaunted. After a media campaign to bring his story to the public, he was again allowed to compete.

At Georgia Southern University, Tim continued to race both with his college team and internationally. He competed in the world championships in 1990,1994 and 1996. At the Paralympic Games in Atlanta in 1996, he won the silver medal for the 10,000-meter race and bronze medals for the 1500-meter race as well as the 5,000 and 1,600-meter relay races. He set two world records, was a semifinalist for the Sullivan Award (given to the top US amateur athlete), was chosen as the Georgia Blind Person of the Year in 1992 and was the recipient of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Achievement Award in 1995. His 1996 Paralympic medals and Brooks racing spikes have been placed in the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

This past summer, Tim traveled to Sydney, Australia, to participate in the 2000 Paralympics and came home with a bronze medal in the men’s 10,000-meter race. "My time in Australia was fantastic," he says. "You could tell the whole country was behind the games.” It was a wonderful way to end his competitive career.Tim has now retired from racing to focus on a career in law.

Since fourth grade, Tim has relied on the services of RFB&D. Tim was especially pleased with the specific tapings he was able to arrange through RFB&D’s Georgia unit, including his all-time favorite book, “Once A Runner” by John L. Parker. Tim graduated from Mercer University Law School in Macon, GA, in May 2000, and passed the state bar exam in July. As a member of several state disability advocacy groups, he is looking at a law career in that area, as well as corporate law. Of course, whichever he chooses, he’ll still be out there, running “on a shoestring.”

"RFB&D provides a service that is crucial to the print-disabled population."

For previous profiles, see: Success Stories - Archives

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