Press Release

RECORDING FOR THE BLIND & DYSLEXIC JOINS
MICROSOFT’S BILL GATES AT INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT
ON DIGITAL BOOKS FOR PEOPLE WITH PRINT DISABILITIES

December 3, 2004 (Princeton, NJ) – Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D) joined Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates at an international summit focusing on improving services for people with print disabilities and establishing universal information accessibility through a global digital library. The summit, held November 8-10 on the Microsoft corporate campus in Redmond, Washington, convened representatives from 20 nations; agencies working in developing countries; the international publishing community; and international bodies including the United Nations and the World Health Organization. The gathering was co-sponsored by the Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) Consortium, which has developed the standards and specifications for accessible multimedia books. 

Attending was RFB&D’s President & CEO John Kelly; Chairman of the Board Tom Trainor; former President & CEO Richard O. Scribner; Senior Vice President of Operations John Churchill; Senior Officer of Accessible Information George Kerscher; Director of Strategic Relationships Kathie Korpolinski; and National Board member Steve Stone.

“RFB&D has been in the forefront of providing accessible and easy-to-use digital technology,” says Kelly. “We welcome a global effort to eliminate barriers that prevent the printed word from reaching and empowering people with print disabilities, regardless of where they live in the world.”

With RFB&D already an established leader in providing cutting-edge digital technology, Gates reaffirmed Microsoft’s commitment to helping RFB&D and other libraries leverage the latest technology to convert their collections from analog to digital formats; to improve and accelerate distribution; and to provide better service to people who are blind or have print disabilities. RFB&D’s transition from analog to digital recording began in earnest in 2002. Today, a core collection of 17,000 recorded titles, known as RFB&D’s AudioPlus^® digitally recorded textbooks, is available. These textbooks can be used on a special portable CD player equipped to play RFB&D’s audiobooks, or on a standard multimedia computer equipped with a CD drive and specialized software.

During the summit, entitled Libraries for the Blind and Print Disabled: Moving Toward a Digital Future, Gates also addressed the advantages of digital technology over analog formats and how digital production and distribution can lower costs and make services more available to people around the world.

“Imagine what it would be like if more than 95 percent of all print publications, from textbooks to popular novels to magazines and daily newspapers, were simply unavailable to you,” said Gates.  “For millions of people worldwide who are blind or have other print disabilities…that limitation is a fact of life. It doesn't have to be that way.”

RFB&D, a nonprofit organization, is the nation’s leading provider of recorded textbooks for students with visual impairment, dyslexia or other physical disabilities that make reading standard textbooks difficult or impossible.  RFB&D serves more than 137,000 students from kindergarten through graduate school and beyond with its one-of-a-kind collection of 100,000 educational titles on CD or four-track cassette. Students rely on RFB&D’s unique accommodation to access the printed page and to achieve educational success.

All of RFB&D’s accessible titles are recorded by volunteers working in 29 RFB&D recording studios nationwide.

additional media inquiries:
RFB&D News Desk 1-800-803-7201
media e-mail inquiries