|
Press Release
2005
NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS WINNERS HONORED THIS WEEK BY RECORDING
FOR THE BLIND & DYSLEXIC®
Students to be recognized at national nonprofit's annual awards
celebration in Washington, DC
February 7, 2006 (Washington, DC) - Cited
for their extraordinary scholarship, leadership, enterprise and
service to others, six students selected for the 2005 National
Achievement Awards (NAA) by national nonprofit Recording for the
Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D®) will be honored at several
events in the nation's capitol February 8 - 10. RFB&D 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.
This year's class includes a pianist who has performed
around the world, a college graduate who received her diploma
at 39 years of age and a young woman who didn't allow a visual
impairment or multiple sclerosis stop her from pursuing a career
with the federal government. In addition to the celebrations scheduled
for this week, some of the winners will return for a special visit
with first lady Laura Bush at the White House later this month.
Each year, RFB&D presents 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. The finalists for each award were chosen
by two selection committees based on student academics, teacher
referrals, volunteerism and community involvement weighed against
individual opportunity and personal circumstance.
The top three SAA winners, who will each receive
$6,000, are Kathleen Ernst, Athens, GA; Scott MacIntyre, Scottsdale,
AZ; and Jessica Smith, Dillon, SC. The top three winners of the
LTL awards are Karen Jenkins, Galena, OH; Christine Lowry, Reston,
VA; and Philip Wyks, Oradell, NJ. Each will also receive $6,000.
"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 RFB&D recording studios nationwide.
EDITORS NOTE: Photographs are available for download
at www.rfbd.smugmug.com. Photos of the award winners at the event
will be available 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,
# # #
additional
media inquiries:
RFB&D News Desk 1-800-803-7201
media e-mail inquiries
|