When you listen to a
Learning Ally audiobook, you never know whose voice may be on the recording side - maybe
even someone famous! Best-selling author
Diana Gabaldon (
Outlander Series) was a volunteer reader for us for 27 years! She recently wrote the following on her
Facebook page:
"Had a good time recording the "essay" parts of THE OUTLANDISH COMPANION for audiobook this morning (lots more to do...!). Reminded me of being a volunteer reader for Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic [Learning Ally] (I did that for 27 years, until my travel schedule got so nuts that I couldn't reliably show up once a week anymore), and I kept feeling that I should have brought something to knit.
"I used to knit while I read for RFB&D [Learning Ally], because it kept me awake. (Mind, I was usually reading something less than gripping...) But the thought in turn made me think of the many readers and viewers who are entranced by the fabulous knitted items in the TV show."
Being a best-selling author is impressive on its own, however Diana is actually
Dr. Gabaldon, holding three degrees in science: Zoology, Marine Biology and a Ph.D in Quantitative Behavioral Ecology. Thus, during her time as a volunteer for Learning Ally, she often was assigned the thick college level science textbooks!
Check out her
Outlander Series novels on
Learning Ally (these are written for adults, so parents please be aware that they are not PG). The novels have also been adapted into a hit TV show on
STARZ, which is currently in its second season (and is also not PG).
Thank you, Dr. Gabaldon, for your amazing books and years of service! So many are learning and enjoying literature due to your work both as an author and as a volunteer!
Interested in volunteering for us? Learning Ally is a national non-profit that serves adults and students who have print disabilities, like dyslexia or a visual impairment. We have plenty of volulnteer opportunities, both in studio or from your own home! Find out more at
LearningAlly.org/Volunteer