(Princeton, NJ) - Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D), the nation's educational audiobook library for students of all ages who cannot read standard print effectively because of a learning disability, visual impairment or other physical disability, in an innovative collaboration with the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), announces the launch of a new, fully accessible educator support website at http://www.learningthroughlistening.org/.

The free service, entitled Learning Through Listening, is offered 24/7 as a powerful resource to assist all educators seeking to integrate listening skills into their classrooms, and is not limited to educators whose schools have RFB&D institutional memberships or whose students are enrolled as RFB&D individual members.

CAST is a research and development organization that has earned international recognition for its innovative, technology-based educational resources and strategies based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). CAST's staff includes specialists in education research and policy, neuropsychology, clinical/school psychology, technology, engineering, curriculum development and K-12 professional development.

The new web site provides easy-to-use, research-based information developed by educators, targeted to the K-12 inclusive classroom. Lesson plans and other downloadable materials are grouped by subject and grade level based on feedback from educators during RFB&D's two year development process. By design, the intended audience has varying degrees of knowledge, comfort and proficiency with print disabilities, technology and RFB&D as an organization and service.

"The Learning Through Listening website was created to support and build the skills of K-12 educators so they will be even more successful in teaching students with different learning styles," says John Kelly, RFB&D's President and CEO. "This new website will provide greater access to helpful educational materials developed by and for educators."

"As multimedia technologies bring listening back to a central role in literacy, this website provides educators with the practical ideas and resources they need to prepare diverse learners for success in a multimedia world," says David Rose, Founder and Chief Education Officer of CAST.

RFB&D serves nearly 180,000 students from kindergarten through graduate school and beyond 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.

Contact: Mark Zustovich
Media Relations Associate
609-520-7993 (office)
609-610-4508 (cell)
mzustovich@rfbd.org

For information on RFB&D, volunteering or making a donation, call toll-free 866-RFBD-585 (866-732-3585) or visit RFB&D's accessible website at http://www.rfbd.org.

Additional information about CAST is available at http://www.cast.org.

--------------------------------------------------
The QIAT List - To Subscribe, unsubscribe, make changes in delivery options or search the QIAT archives, click this link to go to http://lsv.uky.edu/archives/QIAT.html.