For more than 60 years, Learning Ally’s National Achievement Awards have recognized exceptional students who overcome learning and visual challenges to achieve academic excellence. Today, we proudly announce our 2025 winners—outstanding individuals who demonstrate remarkable resilience, leadership, and commitment to their communities.
Breaking Barriers: Students with Learning Differences and Visual Impairments Excel
The statistics are sobering: approximately 41% of students with learning disabilities like dyslexia fail to graduate high school and for working-age adults with significant vision loss, more than 70% aren’t employed full-time.
Yet our winners defy these statistics, showcasing what’s possible when students receive proper support and develop self-advocacy skills.
Marion Huber Learning Through Listening™ Awards: Recognizing Students with Learning Disabilities
The Marion Huber Learning Through Listening™ Awards honor high school seniors with learning disabilities who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement, leadership, and community service.
The 2025 Award winners are:
Top Honor Winners ($6,000 Award)
- Carly Bonser, Idaho
- Erica Frishberg, Florida
- Kasey Guren, Illinois
Special Honor Winners ($3,000 Award)
- Zsuzsa Horvath, Hawaii
- Lucas Hromada, Maryland
- Benjamin Polega, Texas
Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Award: Excellence Despite Visual Impairment
The Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Award recognizes college seniors and graduate students who are blind or visually impaired.
2025 Winner: Thomas Woodyard, Georgia
This year’s recipient, Thomas Woodyard, exemplifies academic excellence and leadership. He graduated in 2023 from Kennesaw State University, demonstrating how accessible educational materials can empower students with visual impairments to reach their fullest potential.
“… Through utilizing Learning Ally’s human-read audiobooks, I was able to keep pace with and in some cases excel past my sighted peers.” – Thomas Woodyard
The Impact of Audiobooks
Beyond financial support, these awards provide winners with validation of their hard work, credential enhancement for college and job applications, and recognition of academic excellence despite challenges.
Each winner credits Learning Ally’s audiobooks as critical to their success. By providing human-narrated textbooks and literature, Learning Ally helps bridge the gap between students’ intellectual capabilities and their ability to access written content.
“I found myself rooting for them as they shared their stories of transformation. Can I share these videos with my children to see if they get inspired?” remarked Vaideji, one of twelve CSAA employees who volunteered to review applications and select this year’s winners.
Learn more about the winners and their learning journeys:
- Erica, HS Graduate and National Achievement Award Winner
- Carly, HS Graduate and National Achievement Award Winner
- Kasey, HS Graduate and National Achievement Award Winner
- Lucas, HS Graduate and National Achievement Award Winner
- Benjamin, HS Graduate & National Achievement Award Winner
- Zsuzsa, HS Graduate & National Achievement Award Winner
- Thomas, Master’s Degree Candidate & National Achievement Award Winner
Read the press release for more details.
A Legacy of Literacy Since 1948
Learning Ally’s mission began when founder Anne T. McDonald recognized that returning WWII veterans with vision loss needed accessible textbooks to benefit from the GI Bill. Volunteers recorded textbooks on vinyl records, launching what would become a nationwide movement to make education accessible to all.
Today, we continue this legacy by providing human-narrated e-books for students with learning differences and visual impairments across the country.
How You Can Support Student Success
For parents: If your child struggles with reading due to learning differences or visual impairment, explore Learning Ally’s audiobook solutions at LearningAlly.org/Join.
For educators: Learn how our solutions can transform learning outcomes for your students with reading barriers.
For potential donors and corporate partners: Your support helps more struggling students succeed. Visit LearningAlly.org/Donate to contribute or explore partnership opportunities.