September 30, 2005
609-520-8095 or 609-240-1097
David Gordon, CAST,
781-245-2212
40 Harvard Mills Square, Suite 3
Wakefield, MA 01880
Tel: 781-245-2212 ext. 279
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(Princeton, NJ) 30 September, 2005— Innovations to support learning among individuals with disabilities will be the strategic focus of a partnership announced today by two of the nation’s leading nonprofit providers of accessible educational technologies and services, Wakefield, Massachusetts-based Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), and Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D), based in Princeton, New Jersey.
CAST is a research and development organization that has earned international recognition for its development of innovative, technology-based educational resources and strategies based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
RFB&D is the nation’s educational library for students of all ages who cannot read standard print effectively because of a disability such as visual impairment, learning disability or another physical disability. Its library of recorded textbooks in every grade level and subject area is unique in the world.
The RFB&D-CAST partnership was formalized in a signed agreement that extends over three years. The partnership will initiate a series of managed projects and programs to develop new technology-based tools, services and strategies that students and educators can use to facilitate reading and study skills. The goal of the partnership is to advance learning technologies that provide students with disabilities greater access to high-quality educational content and to ensure that these tools get into the hands of the students who need them.
“The missions of CAST and RFB&D are uniquely aligned,” said RFB&D President & CEO John Kelly. “We both exist to ensure that students have opportunities to achieve their educational potential, regardless of disability, and we both believe that technology is the great equalizer to facilitate educational success for students with disabilities that make reading challenging or impossible.”
“Both CAST and RFB&D come to the partnership with complementary capacities, accomplished staff, and a commitment to expand learning opportunities for students who struggle with printed text,” explained CAST Co-Founding Director David H. Rose. “Working together, we hope our efforts will make effective learning resources more widely available to students with print disabilities and the parents and educators who support them.”
For executive interviews, please contact Morgan Roth, Vice President, Strategic Communications at RFB&D at mroth@rfbd.org or David Gordon, Communications Director at CAST at dgordon@cast.org. More information about CAST is available at www.cast.org . Read about RFB&D at www.rfbd.org.
