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Index of Stories:
Welcome to Listen Up!, RFB&D's Bimonthly Electronic Newsletter for Members
In this first Listen Up! of 2008, we offer some helpful resources for our members who are thinking about continuing their education beyond high school and wondering how to begin their planning, what questions to ask and what resources are available to them.
We also congratulate all 15 winners of RFB&D's 2007 National Achievement Awards (NAA) program who showed extraordinary leadership, scholarship, enterprise and service to others, and we spotlight the six top winners. In two separate articles we share short bios of the three top winners of the Marion Huber Learning Through Listening® (LTL®) award for high schools seniors with learning disabilities, and the three top winners of the Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Award for college seniors who are blind or visually impaired.
Educators will also be pleased to know that some of our recommended books in Librarian's Choice have lessons plans that can be found at our Learning Through Listening educator-support website [http://www.learningthroughlistening.org]. In January, RFB&D added over 75 new lesson plans and other tools and created two new sections, the Video Vault and the Listening Lab to the site. More information on these updates is available in the Have You Heard? section of Listen Up!
Have You Heard? also lists opportunities, events and information of interest to RFB&D members. As always, we welcome your story input — you can e-mail any story ideas, comments or suggestions to our newsletter editorial staff at media@rfbd.org. For more information on submitting the name of a member for a profile, refer to the Wanted: Your Success Stories section in this and every edition of Listen Up!
For many students, the culmination of their K-12 academic career means heading off to college. Although all students conduct extensive research and preparation before the final college decision is made, students with learning disabilities have several additional steps. It can be an overwhelming process for the student and parents, but there are several places to turn for support:
Thank you to Dr. Christy Lendman, Education and Disability Consultant to RFB&D for providing this article and helping clarify the college preparation process for our members with learning disabilities.
When should I start planning for college?
The earlier, the better! As a freshman, explore your interests and abilities via career counseling. As a sophomore, research and interview your career choices and their skills and experiences criteria. Once you have reached junior year, you are ready to investigate the schools that have programs to meet your career goals. Now is a good time to take the SAT or other required entrance exams. During the senior year, you should begin the application process, including perfecting the entrance essay. Also investigate the extent and types of services available for students with disabilities.
Who does all this planning?
Initially, you and the IEP and transition planning team work together. In the end, however, you are responsible for applying to the school, discussing your disability, and searching out the accommodations and supports you will need.
What do I need in order to request disability services and supports?
You will need documentation that states your disability and discusses how your disability affects learning. Collect information about the accommodations received in high school, including extra time on tests and assignments, calculators, word processors, spell checkers, separate testing, tutoring, etc. The more information about your disability and academic history you can provide, the better!
Where do I go with this information?
You will want to share this information with the Office for Students with Disabilities. Check your college's directory and make an appointment to discuss your needs.
When do I reveal my disability?
In order to receive any disability related services, discuss your disability with the Office for Students with Disabilities. You are not required to disclose your disability until after admission to the college; however, some students choose to discuss their disability with school personnel during the inquiry or admission process.
Each year, RFB&D runs a National Achievement Award program for its members in recognition of their extraordinary leadership, scholarship, enterprise and service to others. The Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Award (SAA) is given to nine students who are college seniors and blind or visually impaired.
The success of the 2007 top three winners is celebrated at two events; one in Washington, DC, in February when they met the first lady, Laura Bush; and the second at a gala event in New York City in the spring.
We also congratulate the three special honors winners — Blake Boudreau, Deer Park, TX, Leslie Penko, Euclid, OH, and Paul Rivetti, Granada Hills, CA, and the three honors winners Phoebe Barkan, San Francisco, CA, Ashley Morgan, Canal Fulton, OH, and Nooria Nodrat, Long Island City, NY.
In this edition of Listen Up! our members have a chance to read short biographies on each of the three top winners highlighting why our selection committees chose these amazing students to receive the awards.
Juliet Cody, Escondido, CA - Early in her adult life, Juliet started her own family, opened a family day care business and was very successful in providing preschool enrichment programs. Not long afterwards, she developed retinitis pigmentosa and quickly began to lose her eyesight. Reluctantly, she closed her center and gave thought to a new career.
Returning to school as a student who was blind, Juliet worried about finding a reader and completing her assignments — until her rehabilitation counselor introduced her to RFB&D. She remembers feelings of "joy and relief, and from that day on RFB&D became my helmsman." Not only did receiving our audiobooks give her independence, they helped her become an honor student and re-establish her confidence.
In the spring of 2007, Juliet received her bachelor of arts in communication from California State University. Juliet now plans to continue her education in rehabilitation counseling. She also plans to continue using RFB&D to help with her own studies and with her mentoring and advocacy on behalf of other students who are blind.
In the role of president, board member, speaker or group leader, Juliet’s passion for helping her community has benefited various Californian chapters of organizations, including Guide Dogs for the Blind, National Federation of the Blind, and the Disabilities Issues Advisory Committee, as well as many preschool and high schools students and parents. In her presentations, she recommends RFB&D and comments, "As families learn about this resource, they all agree it is a blessing..."
Jessie Kirchner, Guilford, CT - Jessie, one of four surviving quintuplets, was the first child who was blind to be mainstreamed in her public school. With the help of assistive technology, she excelled through her early school years. Of RFB&D's audiobooks, Jessie comments, "There came a time during high school when I couldn't imagine being without them. Whether skimming a hundred pages a week for AP U.S. history; enjoying absurdist dramas in AP English, or puzzling through a set of problems for my physics class, RFB&D's books were indispensable to me."
In high school, Jessie performed in bands and choirs and as a church soloist. She also advocated on behalf of the blindness community, attending state legislative hearings, and testified before the U.S. Senate about the benefits of a bill that would give students who are blind access to textbooks simultaneously with their sighted classmates.
At The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, besides mentoring freshmen, acting in a musical, and participating in religious groups, Jessie co-founded a campus organization to address the concerns of students with disabilities. A restorative justice internship in the Minnesota Department of Corrections helped reinforce her desire to work with crime victims, offenders, their families and communities in the conflict resolution field.
Jessie graduated with a GPA of 3.71 and is currently pursuing a joint degree in law and social work at the University of Michigan. She believes that RFB&D has helped give her a "superior academic and extracurricular education. I hope to use my education and skills for lasting community improvement and social change on local and perhaps even national levels," she says.
Tiffany West, Lincoln, NE - Tiffany had few accommodations made for her visual impairment during her early schooling — keeping pace with her classmates was due to her sheer determination to succeed.
It was not until her third year of college that the Commission of the Blind in Lincoln, NE, introduced her to RFB&D. "Audio textbooks opened my eyes to a whole new world of learning," says Tiffany. "It saved me not only time, but a lot of neck and back pain as well." She comments that the physical pain of spending hours bending closely to look at a book is often overlooked.
Not only is she determined to succeed for herself, but spends considerable time helping others. In high school, Tiffany was awarded the Young Women in Excellence Recognition Award and the Friendship Home in Lincoln, which shelters abused women and children, has also benefited from her altruism. Most recently, she has contributed to Project SAFE and the Newlywed Project within the clinical psychology department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL).
Tiffany graduated with a 3.5 GPA and a bachelor of arts in psychology from UNL. She says, "RFB&D has played a significant role in my obtaining such a high GPA... It has made my life so much easier and has enhanced my knowledge greatly."
Her goal is to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology and become a therapist for victims of family violence. It seems Tiffany took it to heart when her sixth grade teacher told her she did not have a disability; she only had more motivation to achieve greatness.
Each year, RFB&D runs a National Achievement Award program for its members in recognition of their extraordinary leadership, scholarship, enterprise and service to others. The Marion Huber Learning Through Listening® award (LTL®) is presented to six students who are high school seniors with learning disabilities.
The success of the 2007 top three winners is celebrated at two events, one in Washington, DC, in February when they met the first lady, Laura Bush; and the second at a gala event in New York City in the spring.
We also congratulate the three special honors winners — Kathryn Bernell, Houston, TX, Shawn Murray, Norfolk, VA, Jonathan Naylor, Carrollton, OH, whose applications also impressed the awards committees.
In this edition of Listen Up! our members have a chance to read short biographies on each of the three top winners highlighting why our selection committees chose these amazing students to receive the awards.
Kirsten Amling, Santa Barbara, CA Kirsten, like many RFB&D members, spent many of her early years longing to be considered "normal." She says she developed a passion for ballet dancing as a way to express herself freely without "being encumbered by words."
"My silent struggle to hide my slow learning made me feel inferior and stupid," she says. In school, memorizing things to pretend comprehension was only a temporary mask for hiding her learning problems. Specialists later diagnosed Kirsten with dyslexia, but told her parents she would outgrow it. Her father, who also has dyslexia, knew differently, and when Kirsten's school offered limited tutoring as an accommodation, her parents chose home schooling instead.
Kirsten excelled because her parents provided the additional accommodations she needed. In high school, when friends enrolled in a college-level class offered at a local university, Kirsten decided to try it also. Asking her parents for outside assistance, they sought the help of a doctor specialized in learning disabilities who introduced Kirsten to RFB&D.
Listening to RFB&D's audio textbooks has given Kirsten a whole new sense of independence and success, which, in turn, gave her the confidence to apply and get accepted to Bryan College in Tennessee.
In addition to Kirsten's academic pursuits, she provided a home for a guide dog puppy for 18 months, assisted in organizing and placing 500 children on soccer teams through the American Youth Soccer Organization, and, through her church, participated in a mission trip to Fiji, where she helped organize and run a basketball clinic, distributed wheelchairs, and visited hospitals and retirement homes.
Abby Nash, Louisville, KY At one point during Abby Nash’s mother’s pregnancy, doctors noticed that Abby's fetal brain was underdeveloped and suggested that the pregnancy be terminated. Abby's mother ignored the advice and delivered a healthy baby girl.
It wasn't until high school that Abby was formally diagnosed with a Central Auditory Processing disorder, which she considers to be a "minor setback." "I've made sure I have not let it stop me from doing the things I love," she says. She also acknowledges the impact of RFB&D and comments that it has made "such a difference in my life and has contributed to my success..."
A glance at this young woman's resumé reveals that Abby loves leading a full and busy life! She served four years on her high school's student government, including two years as President, and one year as the captain of her school's field hockey team. She has participated in fundraisers, volunteered for the local hospice and Special Olympics, was a member of the Student Activities Committee, and was an active member of the National Honor Society for two years. Abby has nine academic and leadership awards to her credit and is considering becoming a special education teacher. She is currently enrolled at Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana.
"I know the struggles I have faced in my life are not anywhere close to what others have, but I have made my situation work for me to the best of my ability," she says. "I want to give back to the community so I can show others how to make the difficulties they face a motivator for them."
Daniel Steck, San Antonio, TX Community service has dominated the last four years of Daniel Steck's life. These experiences have helped shape not only who he is, but who he hopes to become.
Diagnosed with dyslexia in third grade, Daniel started using RFB&D's audiobooks on a regular basis, fueling his love of reading. "RFB&D opened up this world for me. Unlike my father, who also has dyslexia, I never came to dread books, but instead saw them as doors to knowledge and adventure," he says.
As a teen, Daniel approached life as an adventure and an opportunity to assist others, volunteering at his church, local hospital and, most predominantly through the Red Cross, helping at local flood shelters, manning first aid stations, and organizing school fundraisers and a shelter for Hurricane Katrina victims. He cooked meals and cleaned at a Ronald McDonald House, and he has served in many student volunteer leadership roles as well.
Daniel is currently studying mechanical engineering at Texas A&M University, gathering the necessary prerequisites to go on to medical school. He hopes to become an interventional cardiologist, offering his services to the Red Cross in the future on medical missions.
"When a student enjoys a subject, he or she will invariably achieve great success in it," he says. "I hope to be able to convey to others what a difference RFB&D can make in their lives."
One of the benefits of being an RFB&D member is having access to topic-related monthly reading lists prepared by our reference librarian. These bibliographies may be pertinent to a current event, specific theme or may be a collection of books sponsored by a generous donor.
In honor of the National Education Association's Read Across America Day (March 3) and Dr. Seuss' birthday (March 2), our March list features titles by Dr. Seuss and other authors with birthdays in the month of March. Lesson plans for the juvenile texts can be found at http://www.learningthroughlistening.org/.
All listings include the RFB&D shelf number, title, author, publisher and copyright date. Juvenile titles also include the appropriate grade level(s).
HW860
The Foot Book Seuss. Grolier Books c1968. Grolier Book Club ed. Pre-school -
grade 3.
HX972
Hop on Pop Seuss. Beginner Books c1991. Pre-school - grade 3.
HV463
Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! Seuss. Knopf c1998. 1st ed. Grades K-3.
HG042
The Boy On Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel Grew Up To Become Dr. Seuss
Krull, Kathleen. Random House c2004. 1st ed. Grades 1-5.
GV764
Gooney Bird Greene Lowry, Lois. Houghton Mifflin c2002. Grades 1-5.
MN971
The Butter Battle Book Seuss. Random House c1984. Grades 2-4.
HG788
How To Eat Fried Worms Rockwell, Thomas. Dell Yearling Book 1988,c1973. Grades
4-7. RL: 2.6.
MM241
Where The Lilies Bloom Cleaver, Vera. HarperTriphy 1989, c1969. 1st Harper Trophy
ed. Grades 4-7.
HX431
Gossamer Lowry, Lois. Houghton Mifflin c2006. Grades 5-9.
HX431
Gossamer Lowry, Lois. Houghton Mifflin c2006. Grades 5-9.
HC778
The Cider House Rules: A Novel Irving, John. Ballantine Books 1997, c2001. 1st
Ballantine Books trade ed.
HT681
The Collected Tales Of Nikolai Gogol Gogol', Nikolai Vasil'evich. Vintage 1999,
c1998. 1st Vintage Classics ed.
MM949
The Complete Stories O'Connor, Flannery. Farrar, Straus and Giroux 1999, c1971.
HP982
Everyman Roth, Philip. Houghton Mifflin c2006.
HP755
The French Lieutenant's Woman Fowles, John. Little, Brown and Co. 1998, c1969.
1st Back Bay paperback ed.
HQ241
Hedda Gabler Ibsen, Henrik. Methuen Drama 2001, c1974.
MM242
The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Adams, Douglas. Ballantine Books 1995,
c1980. 1st Ballantine Books ed.
MM184
On The Road Kerouac, Jack. Penguin Books 1991, c1985.
MM836
One Hundred Years Of Solitude García Márquez, Gabriel. Perennial
Classics 1998, c1970. 1st Perennial Classics ed.
HP865
Terrorist Updike, John. Alfred A. Knopf c2006. 1st ed.
If you have a specific subject or research topic that you need, please contact RFB&D Reference Librarian Betty Kline at 609-520-8031 or e-mail reference@rfbd.org.
For current and past Librarian's Choice listings, visit [http://www.rfbd.org/Rec_reading_intro.htm].
The latest events, conferences, publications, activities and other items of interest to RFB&D members.
It's a New Year at www.learningthroughlistening.org. Educators - start your new year at [http://www.learningthroughlistening.org] - your expert resource for listening-focused material throughout the year. This January, RFB&D added over 75 new lesson plans and other tools and created two new sections, the Video Vault and the Listening Lab. This is the perfect time to visit and view new features and content, including new graphic organizers, interactive listening activities and three new videos:
Remember to bookmark the site and stop back to see new listening-focused resources each month, including a new monthly feature with lesson plans related to our popular Librarian's Choice lists.
Victor Reader Stream – User Authorization Key (UAK) from RFB&D RFB&D is pleased to announce that we are selling a UAK for the Victor Reader Stream at a cost of $20, plus shipping. Interested members must purchase the Victor Reader Stream device directly from HumanWare or a HumanWare Authorized Dealer. The UAK can be purchased by calling RFB&D Member Services at 800-221-4792. For more information, go to [http://www.rfbd.org] and click on the Players and Accessories tab and go to Browse RFB&D's Line of User Authorization Keys (UAK).
ING Financial Services Unsung Heroes – Rewarding Excellence in America’s Schools Deadline April 30, 2008
The ING Unsung Heroes program has helped more than one thousand K-12 educators and their schools fund innovative classroom projects through awards totaling more than $2.8 million.
Do you or does someone you know have a creative, unique educational program that is helping students reach new heights? Or is there a program you’d like to implement, if only you had the proper funding?
Who’s Eligible? All K-12 education professionals, whether or not they are clients of ING, are eligible. Specifically, these individuals must be:
To Apply for a 2008 Award To download an application and to receive more detailed information about the award recipients and their winning projects, visit the ING Unsung Heroes awards program website at: [http://www.ing.com/us/unsungheroes].
Nominate a Teacher The U.S. Department of Education will continue to honor exemplary classroom teachers who are successful in using innovative teaching strategies and raising student academic achievement as the American Stars of Teaching. One teacher from each state and the District of Columbia will be selected as representatives of the many teachers who are making a difference in the lives of their students.
Nominations will be accepted from January 2 through March 31, 2008. Winners will be announced in the fall.
To complete a nomination form, visit [http://www.t2tweb.us/AmStar/About.asp].
ViewPlus Technologies and American Physical Society (APS) Join Forces Math and Diagrams in American Physical Society (APS) Journals to be Accessible
ViewPlus Technologies, Inc. and the American Physical Society announced a collaborative, experimental project that will develop cost effective, timely, streamlined procedures for converting APS XML documents to DAISY format. All content in APS Journals, including mathematics and figures, will be accessible.
"I am excited that the American Physical Society may be able to offer its journals in DAISY format" says Dr. George Kerscher, Secretary General of the DAISY Consortium. "By offering material in the DAISY format, the APS is opening its ranks to a whole new group of scientists with print disabilities..."
To read more, visit the DAISY website at [http://www.daisy.org/news/newsletters/planet-2008-01.shtml#a1].
NASA Unveils Cosmic Images Book in Braille At a ceremony held on January 15, 2008, at the National Federation of the Blind, NASA unveiled a new book that brings images taken by its Great Observatories to the fingertips of the blind. The Great Observatories include NASA's Hubble, Chandra and Spitzer space telescopes.
"Touch the Invisible Sky" is a 60-page book with color images of nebulae, stars, galaxies and some of the telescopes that captured the original pictures. Each image is embossed with lines, bumps and other textures. These raised patterns translate colors, shapes and other intricate details of the cosmic objects, allowing people who are visually impaired to experience them. Braille and large-print descriptions accompany each of the book's 28 photographs, making the book's design accessible to readers of all visual abilities.
For more information, visit: [http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/spitzer/news/spitzer-20080115.html].
White House Internship Program The White House Internship Program provides an opportunity to experience day-to-day life at the White House while working on a variety of tasks and projects.
In addition to normal office duties, interns attend weekly lectures, volunteer at special events, participate in tours, and contribute to a community service project in the Washington, DC, area. White House Internships are unpaid positions, and participants are responsible for arranging their own transportation and housing. Approximately 100 interns are chosen each spring, summer and fall to participate in this highly competitive program.
Please read the Intern Application (pdf) [http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/intern_application.pdf] (download Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this document) and the White House Office descriptions [http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/off-descrp.html] carefully. Office descriptions can help you determine your areas of interest and assist you in making an informed decision about which offices might fit your qualifications. Interns will be selected based on their application and demonstrated interest in public service.
Applicants must be:
Completed application materials must be submitted to Meghan Espinoza, Intern Coordinator in the office of White House Personnel, at intern_application@whitehouse.gov on or before the following deadline:
Fall 2008 Internship August 26 - December 12, 2008 Application Deadline: June 3, 2008
For further information, visit [http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/wh-intern.html].
Are you an RFB&D member or educator with an extraordinary success story to share? Or, maybe you know someone who has successfully used RFB&D’s audiobooks to boost their grades and self-esteem. Response to our requests for RFB&D Success Stories in Listen Up! have been tremendous, so please keep them coming!
Success stories should be engaging and relevant to RFB&D members. We are especially seeking stories that discuss “before and after” successes — how RFB&D has changed your or someone else’s education and life. Other ideas:
Please include your name, address, phone number and e-mail address along with a paragraph explaining your idea, and e-mail your story proposal to success@rfbd.org. If you are suggesting a success story for yourself or someone else, please include with your submission the contact information for the member or school. Also, include how you found out about this member.
All submissions are subject to the review and editing of the Listen Up! editorial team with no guarantee of placement. Remember, stories not selected for the next issue could be part of a future issue.
Thanks for your help. We look forward to receiving your success stories and your creative ideas!
Do you have a friend or colleague who may be interested in news about RFB&D's Learning Through Listening programs and services? Visit the following URL to send a friend or colleague a copy of this newsletter: [http://www.rfbd.org/newsletter.htm]