OLENTANGY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE HONORED AS
2005 NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER
BY RECORDING FOR THE BLIND & DYSLEXIC®
Galena, OH, resident is recognized
at national nonprofit's awards celebration in Washington, DC

February 10, 2006 (Washington, DC) - While in elementary school, Karen Jenkins, of Galena, OH, experienced nothing but frustration as she struggled with dyslexia. "I had trouble learning how to read, write, spell and learn math," she recalls. Despite her difficulties, Jenkins graduated near the top of her class at Olentangy High School with a GPA of 4.0. For that, and her extraordinary scholarship, leadership, enterprise and service to others, Jenkins was honored by Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D®) as one of three top winners of the 2005 Marion Huber Learning Through Listening® (LTL®) awards. RFB&D, a nonprofit organization, is the nation's educational library of recorded textbooks for students with visual impairment, dyslexia or other physical disabilities that make reading standard textbooks difficult or impossible.

Jenkins told the gathering in Washington, DC, that she credits RFB&D with helping her achieve academic success. "Without access to textbook recordings from RFB&D, I most certainly would not have been able to accomplish the academic goals I set for myself in high school, nor would I be here tonight to share my story."

Recommended by a school psychologist, RFB&D's audiobooks made all the difference to Jenkins, who had previously used the "time-consuming" decoding method to read material for school, but quickly discovered that recorded textbooks greatly helped her keep up with and excel in advanced courses. The English chairperson at Jenkins' high school said she became the "most academic student" in the class and had the highest grades of any other student in the English program.

Jenkins was equally as impressive outside of the classroom, where she contributed to her community by volunteering for Meals on Wheels and the Salvation Army and donating toys to a local children's hospital. She now attends Ohio Northern University and is combining her interests in biology and chemistry in pursuit of a pharmaceutical degree. She adds, "Without the RFB&D library, applying to pharmacy school would only have been a dream - not a reality."

RFB&D's National Achievement Awards (NAA) include the Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Awards (SAAs) for college seniors who are blind or visually impaired and the Marion Huber Learning Through Listening (LTL) awards for high school seniors with learning disabilities. In all, RFB&D bestows more than $50,000 in awards to deserving students each year. Some of this year's winners are scheduled to meet with first lady Laura Bush at the White House later this month.

"RFB&D's National Achievement Awards recognize the accomplishments of students who are outstanding role models, not only for people with disabilities, but for all of us who endeavor to reach our full potential as students and as citizens," said John Kelly, RFB&D President & CEO.

RFB&D serves more than 141,000 students from kindergarten through graduate school and beyond with its one-of-a-kind collection of more than 109,000 educational titles on CD or four-track cassette. RFB&D's AudioPlus® digitally recorded textbooks on CD provide unprecedented navigation, ease of use and proven effectiveness as learning tools for students with print disabilities. 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 recording studios nationwide, including Athens, GA.

EDITORS NOTE: Photos of the award winners at the event will be availableare available for download at www.rfbd.smugmug.com on February 9 after 11:00 p.m. EST. Interview opportunities are available by calling Mark Zustovich at 609-520-7993, or after hours at 609-610-4508.

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