Press Release
REALITY SHOW CHAMPION IS A REAL SUPERHERO TO RECORDING FOR THE BLIND & DYSLEXIC® AND STUDENTS WITH PRINT DISABILITIES
Winner of Who Wants to Be a Superhero? records textbooks and raises money for national nonprofit
January 17, 2007 (Upland, CA) - For most of his life, Matthew Atherton has been fascinated and inspired by superheroes. To actually become one has been a dream come true for the 34-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Atherton is using his fame as winner of the Sci-Fi Channel's reality television show Who Wants to Be a Superhero? to lend his time - and voice - to the Inland Empire/Orange County Unit of Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D®). RFB&D is the nation's educational library of recorded textbooks for students with visual impairment, learning disabilities or other physical disabilities that make reading standard textbooks difficult or impossible.
Atherton's
superhero alter ego, "Feedback," became nationally known
when the software engineer joined other contestants in creating
their own superhero identities, superpowers and costumes. Feedback's
powers include his electric blast, Feedback Field and the ability
to absorb special abilities from playing certain video games.
As part of the first prize, Atherton is participating in an upcoming
Sci-Fi Channel original movie, and his first comic book featuring
Feedback will debut this summer. Written by Stan Lee, the creator
of Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, X-Men
and the Incredible Hulk, the publication from Dark Horse
Comics will be available online to comic book fans around the
world.
Atherton discovered RFB&D while searching online for a recording
studio to produce his first audio drama featuring the Feedback
character. When he learned more about RFB&D's mission and
volunteer opportunities, he knew he had to get involved. "I
have had a lifelong love of learning, and, fortunately, the luxury
of access to the printed word has enabled me to indulge that love
of learning," says Atherton. "For people with blindness
or learning disabilities, I can't imagine the difficulties associated
with trying to learn about a subject without the help of RFB&D."
Atherton and his secret identity, Feedback, can be found recording
textbooks for students with print disabilities every Thursday
at RFB&D's Inland Empire Studio in Upland, CA. Additionally,
Atherton has agreed to give $2 for each autograph he signs at
comic book trade shows. "Volunteering is a way for anyone
to put on a cape, and be a superhero to others," says Atherton.
"By giving your time and your energy, you are giving a gift
that can enable others to reach their true potential!"
RFB&D serves more than 146,000 students from kindergarten through graduate school and beyond, including nearly 12,000 in California, with its one-of-a-kind collection of educational titles. 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, including Upland and Santa Ana.
Additional information about Atherton and Feedback can be found on his website, www.forcefeedback.tv.
For information on becoming an RFB&D member, volunteer or donor, call the Inland Empire/Orange County Unit at 909-949-4316 or visit RFB&D's accessible website at www.rfbd.org/ieoc.
[EDITORS NOTE: ADDITIONAL PHOTOS OR HIGH-RESOLUTION DIGITAL IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST]
additional media inquiries:
RFB&D News Desk 1-800-803-7201, press 6
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