Daniel J. Furton
2003 Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Award

NOTE: Daniel was unable to attend the award ceremony. There are no photos of him available at this time.

MICHIGAN STATE GRADUATE RECEIVES AWARD FOR SCHOLARSHIP, ENTERPRISE
FROM RECORDING FOR THE BLIND & DYSLEXIC®


11 March, 2004 (Princeton, NJ) – Michigan State University graduate Daniel J. Furton is the recipient of a National Achievement Award (NAA) from the national nonprofit Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic® (RFB&D®).

Furton is the recipient of the National Achievement Award Program’s 2003 Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Award, given annually by RFB&D to college seniors with visual impairments who have demonstrated exceptional scholarship, leadership, enterprise and service to others.

“RFB&D's National Achievement Award winners are the standard bearers for achievement in education and stand as role models, not only for students with disabilities, but for every American with the desire to learn and to create,” said US Education Secretary Rod Paige.

After graduating high school with a GPA of 1.6, Daniel felt his dream of becoming an attorney was simply unattainable. Diagnosed in his teenage years with retinitis pigmentosa, he was unaware of adaptive tools that could help him until he met an adult professional with the same eye condition. “Essentially, one person who took the time to relate his experiences … changed my life forever,” he says. Inspired, Daniel became an award-winning political advocate and student leader at Michigan State University (MSU), where he revived MSU’s Council of Students with Disabilities.

Daniel also joined the National Federation of the Blind and served as an intern for Michigan State Senator Virg Bernero. He is currently developing a website for use by disability advocates and is lobbying for a bill to require publishers to provide instructional materials in alternative formats to all Michigan colleges.

Daniel feels that RFB&D’s recorded textbooks helped him succeed academically, as well as become a better listener, a necessary skill as he enters law school. Focusing on disability rights, he aims to provide pro bono legal services to people with disabilities, a group he believes is “the smallest and most economically disadvantaged minority group in this country.”

RFB&D, a nonprofit organization, serves 127,000 students of all ages with a one of a kind library of 98,000 recorded textbooks and other educational materials. In Michigan, more than 4,500 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 28 RFB&D recording studios nationwide, including Troy, MI.

For information about RFB&D membership, volunteer or support opportunities, call the Michigan Unit at 248-879-0101 or visit http://www.rfbd.org.

Daniel J. Furton
2003 Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Award

NOTE: Daniel was unable to attend the award ceremony. There are no photos of him available at this time.

MICHIGAN STATE GRADUATE RECEIVES AWARD FOR SCHOLARSHIP, ENTERPRISE
FROM RECORDING FOR THE BLIND & DYSLEXIC®


11 March, 2004 (Princeton, NJ) – Michigan State University graduate Daniel J. Furton is the recipient of a National Achievement Award (NAA) from the national nonprofit Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic® (RFB&D®).

Furton is the recipient of the National Achievement Award Program’s 2003 Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Award, given annually by RFB&D to college seniors with visual impairments who have demonstrated exceptional scholarship, leadership, enterprise and service to others.

“RFB&D's National Achievement Award winners are the standard bearers for achievement in education and stand as role models, not only for students with disabilities, but for every American with the desire to learn and to create,” said US Education Secretary Rod Paige.

After graduating high school with a GPA of 1.6, Daniel felt his dream of becoming an attorney was simply unattainable. Diagnosed in his teenage years with retinitis pigmentosa, he was unaware of adaptive tools that could help him until he met an adult professional with the same eye condition. “Essentially, one person who took the time to relate his experiences … changed my life forever,” he says. Inspired, Daniel became an award-winning political advocate and student leader at Michigan State University (MSU), where he revived MSU’s Council of Students with Disabilities.

Daniel also joined the National Federation of the Blind and served as an intern for Michigan State Senator Virg Bernero. He is currently developing a website for use by disability advocates and is lobbying for a bill to require publishers to provide instructional materials in alternative formats to all Michigan colleges.

Daniel feels that RFB&D’s recorded textbooks helped him succeed academically, as well as become a better listener, a necessary skill as he enters law school. Focusing on disability rights, he aims to provide pro bono legal services to people with disabilities, a group he believes is “the smallest and most economically disadvantaged minority group in this country.”

RFB&D, a nonprofit organization, serves 127,000 students of all ages with a one of a kind library of 98,000 recorded textbooks and other educational materials. In Michigan, more than 4,500 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 28 RFB&D recording studios nationwide, including Troy, MI.

For information about RFB&D membership, volunteer or support opportunities, call the Michigan Unit at 248-879-0101 or visit http://www.rfbd.org.