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

February 10, 2006 (Washington, DC) - Christine Lowry's struggle with dyslexia and dysgraphia was so challenging, she recalls reading at a second grade level in the sixth grade and being cautioned "not to take honors or advanced placement classes because they were too difficult." Lowry, of Reston, VA, ignored the advice and graduated high school with honors. For that, and her extraordinary scholarship, leadership, enterprise and service to others, Lowry 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.

Lowry told the gathering in Washington, DC, "Without RFB&D, I would not be able to take challenging classes, perform as well on the SATs, or gain as much confidence in my abilities. I attribute everything that I have accomplished in my high school and college careers to having a resource like RFB&D at my disposal."

Diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age, Lowry says, "I faced prejudice towards people with disabilities from my peers. "Throughout high school, I had to fight for accommodations for my learning needs." According to Lowry, her life turned around after discovering RFB&D while being home schooled in the seventh grade and since then RFB&D's audio textbooks "have set me free." In addition to an academic interest in robotics, astronomy and science, Lowry enjoys horseback riding and playing the violin. Lowry is confident that RFB&D will remain at her side as she attends the Rochester Institute of Technology to pursue a career in mechanical engineering.

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.

EDITORS NOTE: Photos of the award winners at the event will be 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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