Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic was founded by Anne T. Macdonald in 1948. At the time, she was a member of the New York Public Library’s Women’s Auxiliary. That year, she received letters from soldiers who had lost their sight in combat during World War Two.

These soldiers wanted to move forward with their lives. They were guaranteed, by the GI Bill of Rights, a college education to all war veterans and veterans who would follow them. The inaccessibility to college textbooks became an obstacle for these blinded veterans who wanted to resume their lives. This was when Ms. Macdonald began to take action.

Very few veterans knew how to read braille. Live readers difficult to find. Ms. Macdonald reminded the Auxiliary that, “Education is a right, not a privilege.” Recording for the Blind was born, as it was known then.

The attic of the New York Public Library was turned into a recording studio; this is where recording of textbooks were produced for the servicemen. They used six-inch vinyl SoundScribner discs for recording. These discs played only twelve minutes of material on each side and this was considered state-of-the-art technology at that time.

By 1951, demand for recorded textbooks were at their peak. Recording for the Blind was incorporated as the nation’s only nonprofit organization to produce audio textbooks. In 1952, Ms. Macdonald ventured across the country and established seven more recording studios. In addition to corporate headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey, there are approximately twenty-nine recording studios across the United States.

Recording for the Blind began to serve a cornucopia of individuals with learning difficulties and in 1995 the company changed its name to Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic. The title was changed to accommodate individuals with any type of print disability, individuals not being able to read standard print effectively

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D) now serves approximately one hundred forty one thousand six hundred sixty individuals worldwide. In year 2005, two hundred fifty eight nine hundred eighteen titles were distributed. By then seventy percent of RFB&D members are recognized with learning difficulties; this includes kindergarten through graduate school students, and even working professionals. Four track cassettes were used. In September 2002, cassettes were gradually produced less often and AudioPlus digitally recorded audiobooks on compact disc were introduced. By then all members would soon have access to digitally recorded versions of the cassettes to more than one hundred nine one hundred six titles in the CV Starr Learning Through Listening Library. In order to play RFB&D’s audiobooks, members need to use specially adapted CD players or software or four-track cassette players.

By year 2005, RFB&D had seven thousand one hundred volunteers, producing more than five thousand one hundred thirty four titles to the library. RFB&D has Education Outreach volunteers and staff who go directly to schools to teach students and teachers how they can benefit and get the most from RFB&D’s audiobooks.

In November 2006, RFB&D and HumanWare began working together to serve Americans who are blind or who have visual impairments or learning disabilities. The Victor Reader will now paste the RFB&D logo on the players for members to will play audiobooks from the AudioPlus digital book collection. AudioPlus books enhance listening quality and gives the listener a clear sound. Also, the HumanWare Victor Reader DAISY CD players, the listener has the ability to navigate the disc much like a printed book. The Victor Reader is navigable by each individual chapter and individual section, tables of contents, and even enter electronic bookmarks.

Today, Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic records books that students need for their school and college courses, especially when other audiobook industries have not already produced the book that a student needs or needs a book that is friendly for the blind. Anyone who has a documented physical disability, learning disability, or visual impairment that keeps them from reading printed text effectively is eligible for membership. If members live outside the United States they may only borrow cassette-format audiobooks. Some students send in their syllabi so their respective recording studio may know when their audiobooks are required to be in their possession. (Sometimes we get books with an early due date that we have to cram in narrating sessions to meet deadlines.) In addition, if a book is not in our catalog (also available online at http://www.rfbd.org) then a member may request a title. Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic’s busiest times are from mid-August to mid-October and January and June.

There are two options for membership. Option 1 is Student Individual Membership. With this option, the school makes the payments. These schools recognize the student’s disability and approve RFB&D services as an approved accommodation.

Option 2 is Personal Individual Membership. These members directly pay to RFB&D their membership fees. Option 2 members may not want to share that they have a disability to their school, they may want to borrow an audiobook not part of their school’s curriculum, their school may not recognize their disability or they may not be an enrolled student.

In order to be eligible for membership, they need a certified professional, specializing in the area of learning disabilities or a physician, to prove the applicant is in need of specialized audiobooks. A physician, opthamologist, or optometrist in the case of blindness and visual impairment can certify the applicant. A neurologist, learning disability specialist, or a psychologist with a background in learning disabilities, in the case of perceptual disabilities, might be most qualified in certifying the applicant. Principals, vice-principals, guidance counselors, general education teachers, and librarians are not qualified to certify that the applicant is in need of specialized audiobooks.

Individuals who receive services from The national Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) as well as their cooperating network libraries, are accepted, provided that a librarian’s signature is given, to receive membership. Individuals in Canada or England who are registered members of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) or the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) are required to send verification. RFB&D AudioPlus books on CD are not distributed outside of America to non American citizens, except for American citizens temporarily residing abroad.

When RFB&D produces a book, a specific recording studio is assigned to read that book based on local and national needs and research. Each studio picks books in various subjects in a book queue and an available volunteer with expertise in that book’s subject is usually chosen to read. The reader narrates the book and describes any necessary charts, graphs, pictures, or mathematical equations. RFB&D constantly tries to have narrators who are proficient in mathematics, science, finance, K-12 literature, accounting, computer science, and other technical areas.

Then a volunteer in the studio will mark two copies of the book. A “pencil path” is created by bookmarkers through the whole book to be recorded. These volunteers make notes, guiding readers through the sequence of charts, illustrations, and footnotes.

Some of the even trained readers need help. Directors act as the listener or audience. They help the reader with spotting errors or the computer’s recording software work as needed. Directors are the most important people in working with the recording equipment. Some readers self-direct themselves, thus require careful attention to their own errors.

After the book is recorded, volunteers or staff at the studio do some finishing touches on the recording and then email the file to headquarters Production Department. This is where audiobooks are burned to a compact disc. The disc is then prepared for shipping. Finally, a member gets their audiobook. Eventually, each audiobook is returned to headquarters. Because of copyright laws, RFB&D destroys the CD copy and duplicates the original for the next shipment.

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic is a great organization to volunteer for. Whether you speak a foreign language or are a professional in your area of work, you can help RFB&D by reading textbooks that are in your professional area of work.

Visit http://www.rfbd.org for more information on membership and volunteering.