DCT Advisors » Disabilities http://dctadvisors.com Sun, 18 Sep 2011 01:05:38 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 Recording For the Blind and Dyslexic http://dctadvisors.com/2009/07/19/recording-for-the-blind-and-dyslexic/ http://dctadvisors.com/2009/07/19/recording-for-the-blind-and-dyslexic/#comments Sun, 19 Jul 2009 11:00:24 +0000 Dennis Taylor http://dctadvisors.wordpress.com/?p=308 Having had the pleasure of working around several people with disabilities over the years, I have gained an appreciation for the difficulties they face … whether it be trying to maneuver around the halls of the West Virginia State Capitol…

]]> Having had the pleasure of working around several people with disabilities over the years, I have gained an appreciation for the difficulties they face … whether it be trying to maneuver around the halls of the West Virginia State Capitol in a wheelchair or reading textbooks if blind.

Two weeks ago Inside Higher Ed reported on a lawsuit brought by the National Federation for the Blind and the American Council of the Blind against Arizona State University for implementing a pilot program that will use Amazon’s new Kindle e-reader to distribute books to students.  Why the lawsuit?  While the Kindle can translate digital books into audio, “users can access the feature only through on-screen menus that are not accessible to the blind.” (Emphasis in original.)

The article intrigued me because West Virginia has a chapter of a little-known organization, Recording For the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D), which takes textbooks and converts them into audio form with the help of volunteer readers.  The audio texts are then made available to blind and dyslexic individuals.

I encourage each of you to learn more about RFB&D and consider attending the local chapter’s Black, White and Read All Over Ball at Huntington’s Big Sandy Superstore Arena on 25 September 2009.

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