Dr. Seuss forever changed reading in America by writing books that sparked imagination. He probably never imagined the pain his books would cause visually impaired people who could not enjoy them.

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D) is a national non-profit agency that strives to make the written word available to everyone. The organization recently held an event to inform the community about its services that help improve quality of life through the written word.

The Learning Through Listening Luncheon entitled "Oh The Places We'll Go" featured Charleston River Dogs owner Mike Veeck. His 14-year-old daughter Rebecca was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (progressive degeneration of the retina). He has been an RFB&D member since 2005.

Other featured speakers included RFB&D's National Achievement Award winner Christine Lowry; Traci Cooper, 2002 South Carolina Teacher of the Year and an administrator at Alcorn Middle School in Richland School District One; and Howard West, an attorney in Columbia.

Sarah Massengale, a singer and visually impaired student who attends the Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities in Greenville, sang, and students from Sandhills, a school in Columbia serving students who are dyslexic, greeted guests.

While over 55,000 students in grades K-12 in SC would benefit from RFB&D, only 1,767 are currently being served. RFB&D serves as the nation's educational library of recorded textbooks for students with visual impairment, dyslexia, or other physical disabilities that make reading standard textbooks difficult or impossible.

According to state RFB&D Director Libby Anne Inabinet, nationwide RFB&D serves more than 140,000 students from kindergarten through post graduate school and beyond with its one-of-a-kind collection of more than 109,000 educational titles on CD or cassette.

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 recording studios nationwide.

For more information on RFB&D, volunteering or making a donation, contact RFB&D's South Carolina office at 803-463-1400, e-mail lainabinet@rfdavanc. org, or visit www.rfbd.org.