Learning Ally

Please understand, I believe in the service NEED, but this company has problems getting it straight as to how to go about working WITH the disabled! I believe in the volunteers doing their best, but endlessly harassing those who apply to their program, when they already have been contacted by a federal agency to *prove* disability, is just wrong and close to an ADA violation that will get them closed if they don’t fix this.
I have submitted everything one can to *prove* eligibility, other than taking yet another WISC-​R exam for their sole benefit. This is a gross misuse of time for both outside agencies to *fix* what this program seemly can not get: disabled is disabled.
They need to come up to 1994 standards of disability disclosure or face a lawsuit.

When I was an Inside Sales Representative for a college textbook company, I would have students and professors call me to get read copies of texts for students or professors who were either hearing impaired, or dyslexic. All I could ever tell them was that they needed to call the Federal Government’s Recordings for the Blind because my company didn’t offer any kind of program.
After being laid off, I was looking for volunteer work and I found RFB&D on the Volunteer Boston website. I thought that I could finally help the people I couldn’t when I worked at the publishing company by helping to get them the books they needed for class, etc.
The staff, the training and the process are all fabulous and I would highly suggest volunteering here to help someone who needs it.

I read about RFB&D on Unilocal,and decided that it was something I’d like to do. I come from Gloucester, so it’s kind of a haul to get to Cambridge, but it is well worth it. Being a cool guy, my boyfriend signed up with me and may love doing it even more than I do now. We’ve faithfully gone through all of the training and the test, and now we are official readers.
If you want to make a difference, this is definitely a good organization. You’re recording books (and lots of different books, at that) for the blind and dyslexic. Children use these books to help improve their grades. It’s very rewarding. If you’re a specialist, they really need you. Someone comfortable reading chemistry or engineering– they really need your help!
The staff is great. Everyone is friendly, and they explain things very thoroughly. The demo may seem daunting, but trust me, you can do it and then you’re an official reader. (I love saying I’m a reader). Once you’re through the training, you can essentially set your own hours. They have a lot of times available, and as far as I can tell, afternoons and evenings are never crowded.
So, if you’re looking for a good cause to become more involved with, I think Reading for the Blind and Dyslexic is definitely for you. Go to the orientation, check it out– I bet you’ll love it as much as my boyfriend and I do now!

I’m a member of Boston Cares which partners with the RFB&D to volunteer. I’ve volunteered here a couple of times and everytime has been rewarding. They have about 10 sound proof booths where you can work alone or with a partner to read books aloud. The friendly staff shows you what to do, three hours will seriously fly by super quick. They read fiction, non-​fiction, textbooks, everything. It’s a lot of fun to hear your own voice, and to know that you’re helping someone else while having fun. So if you want to volunteer, I highly recommend this place.

So many things about RFB&D are great! Because of the staff and volunteers, people can read books — what could be better? Being unable to read must be so lonely. And the recordings go further and help students get through their classes so they can keep expanding their world.
Volunteers are treated as responsible people there. We have no commitments to come a certain number of hours — we just sign up when we can. I think I have stayed there for 10 years or so, and read as often as possible, because of the flexibility and lack of pressure.
And I just have fun recording. I love reading great books out loud in (almost) sound proof booths. We don’t get many chances to read aloud any more. So I recommend RFB&D to people who just like to read and want to help others do so, too.

just went in for my first training. really nice, calming space, very flexible hours based on what fits with your schedule, super nice staff. i was nervous at first, but got the hang of it. i have to say, it’s kind of relaxing sitting in that recording booth with a book. they do a lot of textbooks too– and say they are especially in need of people knowledgeable in law, computers, engineering, medicine, math, science, etc. you don’t have to know the subject matter of the specific book, but it helps if you have the background so you are familiar with the lingo, acronyms, etc. kinda cool for fellow geeks who want to give back!

I have a couple hundred hours logged at the Grand Olé RFB&D, but I regrettably haven’t been back in about 4 years. So while I can’t speak for the state of things in their new studio, I can say that my time there was extremely rewarding. In my day, you couldn’t choose what you wanted to read — generally not a big deal, but I recorded some things as a squeaky 16-​year-​old that I wouldn’t say out loud today at 22. I’m looking at you, deviant sexuality case studies! Even so, reading lots of niche books made me much better at conversation (take that, awkward teen years!) and at Jeopardy!
The staff who worked there were among the best I have met in my life — prepare to be inspired to become a better person. You’ll have to stay pretty fly to kick it with them at one of the many swank events they have to celebrate their volunteers.

I started volunteering here a few months ago, and it has been one of the most fun and rewarding experiences of my life! Volunteering is very flexible… basically you go in whenever you can. You get to read books that you wouldn’t normally read and you’re helping people!
All of the people that work here are very sweet and are overjoyed when new people want to join. The studio is very close to the Porter Square t stop and it’s a really nice space.
I highly recommend this experience to everyone! At least go in for an orientation and check it out especially if you’ve ever enjoyed hearing yourself talk or enjoy reading.

I wanted to update and mention that RFB&D is currently in the process of moving to their new Porter Square studio (so they’ll be up a little bit further on the Red Line). As Trish and Allix mention, this is a great place to volunteer: you basically get to read a random book aloud for a few hours, which is then turned into an audiobook for people who are blind or dyslexic. So, while this is more of an update than a review, you should check this out if you’re looking to help out in the community (you can get more info on their website, or you can also sign up for some times through Boston Cares if you’re a member).

LeVar Burton would be so proud of me… using my reading skillzz to give back to the community and whatnot.
I went to RFB&D last night pretty exhausted from work (and Unilocaling. let’s not lie to ourselves). I was pretty dang scared about hopping into a booth and lending my voice to some books… but the staff was incredibly nice and joked around with me to make me feel more comfortable.
When you get there, you can go into a couple booths to see what book you want to read from. They do a lot of K-​12 textbooks, but there are also fiction, non-​fiction, and special interest books as well. For the most part, you won’t be the only voice on an entire book. so a lot of the time, you’re just picking up where someone else left off. I picked Social Psychology with all it’s crazy and rather interesting viewpoints. I imagine there might be a time where you won’t like any of the books in the booths. but you’ve got to remember this is volunteer work. And who knows, you might get into something you never thought you’d like!
The guy monitored me for the beginning but then left me alone for most of the recording, checking back when I needed help. You’re pretty much master of the recording, so if you mess up a word (holy Moses. Social Psych books should NOT be read aloud) you can go back and fix it. And there are always staff around in case you have any questions in the middle of recording.
Sessions can run anywhere from an hour and a half to three hours. I got pretty engrossed in the material I was reading, so I was there for about 3 hours. They have sessions all day (9– 8:30pm) which I find convenient. You just have to call ahead and make an appointment so that they can accommodate you. The location is also very accessible. Very close to the Lechmere stop and less than 10 minutes from the Kendall stop. It’s quite close to Cambridgeside Galleria as well.
I will most definitely be back to volunteer! I signed up through Boston Cares, but you can also just call RFB&D straight out. OH! AND there is a section of books that you can take when you leave because they’re all through with recording them. They even have business cards for volunteers so that you can recruit more people. Want mine? ;)