RFB&D New Jersey Unit: Profiles of Users (text)

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Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic
New Jersey Unit
69 Mapleton Road
Princeton, New Jersey 08540
Phone 609-750-1830
Fax 609-750-9653

Profiles of Members

Kristen Witucki

"My relationship with RFB&D will be lifelong."

- Kristen Witucki, RFB&D member & spokesperson

It didn't take Kristen Witucki long to realize that Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic was her mainstay for achieving her academic dreams and for her personal pleasure.

Totally blind since birth, Kristen has been involved with RFB&D in a variety of ways for many years, not only as a member but as an advocate and spokesperson. At the age of 13, Kristen was asked to join RFB&D's Consumer Advisory Council. Kristen admits this was her first exposure to professional adults who were blind or who had learning disabilities. This early contact helped fuel her aspirations to make a difference in the lives of students with special needs.

During her teenage years, Kristen testified on RFB&D's behalf to the New Jersey Joint Budget and Appropriations Subcommittee. Most recently, she supported the organization by highlighting to the Reader's Digest Partners for Sight Foundation how RFB&D's audio textbooks can positively impact the lives of students like herself, and helped RFB&D win a grant of $428,000.

Kristen's continued involvement with the nonprofit organization culminated in a 12-week internship in its marketing and educational outreach departments. She has proven to be an invaluable asset - reaching out to fellow students with visual impairments, their families and teachers.

At disability conferences nationwide and as part of RFB&D's outreach program, Kristen has helped raise awareness of RFB&D's services and demonstrated how RFB&D's AudioPlus® digitally recorded books on CD work. This summer she also coordinated a user satisfaction survey among schools receiving federal grants and contacted students to help with ordering RFB&D products in anticipation of the new school year.

In September, Kristen will move on to study in New York, where she will work toward her goals of contributing to the field of education and teaching students with unique educational needs. She comments, "RFB&D will continue to be my main resource for achievement and inspiration as I pursue an MA in special education at Teachers College, Columbia University. I know my relationship with RFB&D will be lifelong."

Jessica DeLeo

"... the whole experience of reading comes alive for me. "

- Jessica DeLeo, RFB&D member

Jessica DeLeo began playing the piano by ear at age three. At age seven, she enthusiastically started formal piano lessons. So her mother, Chris, was surprised and concerned when Jessica, despite her obvious interest and talent, wanted to quit her lessons. It was soon apparent that Jessica had been deeply upset by her inability to read music.

That was perhaps the first hint of the learning disability that Jessica's teachers would later diagnose. Fortunately, the child-study team at Cranbury Elementary School mapped out a curricular plan tailored to meet Jessica's needs and nurture her talents. Soon, Jessica began listening to tapes from Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic® (RFB&D®). Today, she is a senior at Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville, NJ, a summer counselor for the Cranbury Township Recreation Program and a regular volunteer for the NJ Unit of RFB&D. Recently, her experiences were featured in a profile of RFB&D that was part of the WABC-TV special, "The Need to Read."

Over the years, Jessica's enthusiasm and support for RFB&D has grown, and she is particularly impressed with the new technology of RFB&D's AudioPlus® digitally recorded textbooks on CD. "The CDs from Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic make all of the difference in my schoolwork," she says. "Using them makes the whole experience of reading come alive for me. They are really helping me figure out how to become a better reader."

This year, Jessica is enrolled in AP Psychology and she is looking forward to receiving the CD version from RFB&D. "The CDs make the material so much less overwhelming," she commented. Instead of reading the same page of text repeatedly, or misreading words, I can just follow along and learn." Jessica is still deciding on what college to attend in a couple of years. However, she is sure about one thing. "I will definitely continue using RFB&D in the future," she says.

Kathryn Brown

"I had always struggled reading print ... but with the tapes, I did better ... "

- Kathryn Brown, RFB&D member

Reading was once a frustrating endeavor for Kathryn Brown of West Windsor. Like many other students with dyslexia, Kathryn needed to sound out each word as she read. She struggled with school textbooks, which were especially exhausting for her. By the time Kathryn finished third grade, her mother, Joan, had already tried many different techniques to help her with written language comprehension. So, later that year, when Kathryn joined Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic ® (RFB&D®), the Browns were not sure what to expect.

To their relief, the results were both immediate and powerful. Kathryn began earning "A"s on tests, and her comprehension quickly moved to grade level. "Initially, she was resistant to the change," recalls Joan. "But she tried listening to the tapes, and, by the second test, we saw incredible results. She was able to keep up in a mainstream class, and her fluency in reading improved dramatically."

Kathryn recalls the profound effect using RFB&D had on her schoolwork. "I remember when I began using the tapes for my textbooks in the fourth grade, they made reading so much easier. I had always struggled reading print, but, with the tapes, I did better on tests, got better grades and didn't get so tired reading." Today, Kathryn can alternate reading three different books at once!

Now in eighth grade, Kathryn attends the Cambridge School in Pennington and hopes to become a veterinarian. Kathryn's mother has witnessed firsthand the impact that RFB&D's recorded books have had, and she's eager to spread the word about RFB&D's services. "Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic offers such a wonderful service," she says. "The program is invaluable to so many people on so many different levels."

Jasmin Sethi

Award-winning actor Danny Glover presented Elmwood Park, NJ resident Jasmin Sethi with the prestigious Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Award (SAA) at RFB&D's National Achievement Awards gala in April 2001.

Sethi is one of three top winners of a $6,000 national SAA. The awards are presented annually to blind college seniors who have demonstrated superior scholarship, leadership, enterprise and service to others.

Sethi is the second member of her family to earn a Scholastic Achievement Award from RFB&D - her sister, Sheena was a recipient in 1992. A member of RFB&D since 1988, Jasmin Sethi has borrowed about 210 books. Having lost her vision from retinitis pigmentosa, Sethi has used RFB&D's recorded textbooks since junior high. Graduating from Elmwood Park Memorial High School as valedictorian, with a perfect 1600 on the SATs, she was named a New Jersey Governor's Scholar for outstanding leadership potential in public service. "From grammar books, to history and classic novels, RFB&D's recorded texts have served to support my education," she says.

Sethi then graduated from Harvard University with an AB in Applied Mathematics and Economics and received Harvard College and John Harvard scholarships for academic achievement. The numerous research grants she earned while at Harvard helped her study financial environments in such places as India, Indonesia and Singapore. While a research assistant for the President's Council of Economic Advisors, she drafted international summaries for the weekly economic briefings to the President and studied the progress of corporate debt restructuring in the Asian crisis countries. Sethi also participated in the Empower Disability Awareness Organization, the Harvard Investment Association, the Institute of Politics and the South Asian Association. She is currently enrolled in the master's program in economics at the London School of Economics.

"In my future career," Sethi states, "I aspire to advise developing countries on how to strengthen their financial systems and attract investment. I really want to impact the lives of other people. I believe that RFB&D has played an important role in my academic career thus far, and that it will continue to do so."

Seth L.M. Burstein

Seth Burstein of Westfield, New Jersey, didn't just excel in the classroom at Westfield High School, from which he graduated in June 1999 with a 4.0 GPA. A champion swimmer, he was captain of his school's swim team and won numerous national and international competitions. In addition, he participated in Key Club and volunteered his time for community social programs and religious activities at his temple.

An RFB&D member since 1995, Seth was diagnosed with a learning disability just before entering high school. Prior to his graduation, he was inducted into the National Honor Society, named All-American Scholar/Athlete, and invited to train at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

Seth, who currently attends Yale University, ultimately hopes to become an orthopedic surgeon with and emphasis in sports medicine.

Seth says, "RFB&D has changed my life. I count myself among RFB&D's biggest fans."

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