Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic

CONTACT:

55 Pittsfield Road
Lenox, MA 01240
617-577-1111 ext 11
www.rfbd.org

Tina Raimo, Executive Director, New England Regional Unit

DESCRIPTION:

Anne Macdonald, a member of the Women’s Auxiliary of the New York Public Library, wanted to help veterans who had lost their sight in World War II take advantage of the GI Bill, which guaranteed access to a college education. Her conviction that “education is a right, not a privilege” led to the establishment of Recording for the Blind in 1948. Broadening its scope to address the growing numbers of individuals with learning disabilities, the organization became Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic in 1995. The Berkshire Chapter is one of 25 operating throughout the country (the Boston Chapter was featured in the 2003 Catalogue). With 180 volunteers and studios in Lenox and Williamstown, the Berkshire Chapter digitally records textbooks in physics, engineering, computer science, technology and other specialty areas that are often not accessible in audio format. Apart from the obvious learning advantages that recorded books give to students with print disabilities, these resources, offered at no charge, also foster a high degree of independence and self-sufficiency. Please be generous: investments in RFB&D go a long way toward maintaining studio equipment and providing numerous much-needed textbooks for students with visual challenges.

(2005,: HUMAN SERVICES: Disabilities)