2003 Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Awards

Helaine Blumenthal

In eighth grade, Helaine Blumenthal's eyesight began to seriously decline. She soon realized that "joining RFB&D was a matter of academic survival." With RFB&D's help, Helaine graduated from Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn in the top one percent of her class and was an Intel Science Talent Search semifinalist.

Legally blind, she continued her education at Swarthmore College, graduating with a 3.64 GPA. Helaine earned numerous scholarships and served as president, community service coordinator and member of Swarthmore's Jewish Student Board. Via the Upward Bound Program, she also tutored high school students from underprivileged backgrounds.

In the fall of 2001, she studied in Prague, Czech Republic. While there, she engaged in cross-cultural dialogue regarding the treatment of people with visual impairments. Outside of school, she worked for Hillels of New York/Center for Jewish Studies, as well as at the Museum of the City of New York.

Helaine hopes to attend graduate school and earn a PhD, something she says she "could not even think of doing without the knowledge and confidence that RFB&D will be there."

Sarah Swords

Unlike many RFB&D members, Sarah Swords was fortunate enough to discover RFB&D at a young age. Having lost her sight due to a serious illness when she was in the sixth grade, Sarah appreciates the fact that she had "excellent teachers" who immediately introduced her to assistive tools, such as computers, braille and recorded books. With tapes in hand, Sarah embraced reading, something she had never done before due to additional difficulties with dyslexia. "At last, I could read all the books I had always wanted to read," she recalls. "All the classics, novels, poetry and even magazines."

In 1999, Sarah graduated first in a class of 637 from Stoneman Douglas High School and, with a nearly perfect SAT score, entered Princeton University. There, she flourished, graduating with honors in history and a GPA of 3.64. She participated in Princeton's student government, served as a vice president of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority, delivered food to the needy as a volunteer for the University's Crisis Ministries and helped out at the Trenton, NJ, Animal Shelter. She also served as a speaker regarding disability advocacy for the Nassau Club, Princeton Alumni Organization.

Sarah has studied at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and is pursuing a PhD in history at The College of William and Mary, where she is also a teaching assistant. "Because of RFB&D, I will remain an independent scholar both in the academic world and in the greater global arena," she says.

Daniel Furton

After graduating high school with a GPA of 1.6, Daniel Furton felt his dream of becoming an attorney was simply unattainable. Diagnosed in his teenage years with retinitis pigmentosa, he was unaware of adaptive tools that could help him until he met an adult professional with the same eye condition. "Essentially, one person who took the time to relate his experiences … changed my life forever," he says. Inspired, Daniel became an award-winning political advocate and student leader at Michigan State University (MSU), where he revived MSU's Council of Students with Disabilities.

Daniel also joined the National Federation of the Blind and served as an intern for Michigan State Senator Virg Bernero. He is currently developing a website for use by disability advocates and is lobbying for a bill to require publishers to provide instructional materials in alternative formats to all Michigan colleges.

Daniel feels that RFB&D's recorded textbooks helped him succeed academically, as well as become a better listener, a necessary skill as he enters law school. Focusing on disability rights, he aims to provide pro bono legal services to people with disabilities, a group he believes is "the smallest and most economically disadvantaged minority group in this country."