Kurzweil Educational Systems Awards Product Scholarships at American Council of the Blind 2003 Convention

Company Convenes Kurzweil 1000 User Group Meeting and Offers Promotional Pricing to Conference Attendees

Kurzweil Educational Systems^®, Inc., innovator of reading technology for individuals with visual or learning disabilities, today announced that its annual product scholarship presentation will be held during the 2003 American Council of the Blind (ACB) National Convention. The convention will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on July 5 - 12, 2003 and the scholarship awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday, July 8 at 10:30 a.m. in the Convention Center Ballroom.

Product scholarships will be presented to 22 individuals who have been chosen by the ACB Council in recognition of their scholastic excellence, financial need and community service. In addition to the recognition recipients receive from ACB, winners will also receive a copy of Kurzweil 1000 software – the leading reading technology for the blind and visually impaired.

The second annual Kurzweil 1000 User Group Meeting also will be held on Tuesday, July 8, from 5 - 7 p.m. in the Crawford East and West Rooms at the Westin Hotel. The User Group Meeting is open to anyone interested in receiving more information on Kurzweil 1000, hearing from users about their experiences using the product, or offering suggestions for future product releases.

The User Group Meeting brings together users of the product alongside Kurzweil Educational executives committed to serving the customer and enhancing the product. By fostering an honest exchange of information with its constituents, Kurzweil Educational furthers its mission to provide best-in-class technology. The user community also can receive product updates, technical alerts, company news and other relevant information via a unique online retrieval feature included in the latest version of Kurzweil 1000. Users can also participate in a drawing for a free product upgrade.

“There is a direct link between customer feedback and product development,” said Stephen Baum, Chief Technology Officer of Kurzweil Educational Systems and Chief Engineer of Kurzweil 1000. "We continually implement user suggestions that enable users to lead more independent professional and personal lives. Our next version, due out this fall, will include numerous upgrades and new features, the seeds of which were generated by our ongoing communication with our customers."

Kurzweil Educational Systems will be exhibiting at the convention from Saturday, July 5 through Wednesday, July 9, 2003. Attendees are welcome to stop by the booth for a one-on-one demonstration of Kurzweil 1000, or to purchase the software at the show-only special price of $795, a $200 discount off the suggested retail price. Software must be purchased at the show to qualify for the discount. Also, a drawing for a free Kurzweil 1000 product will be done after the show; attendees are invited to register at the Kurzweil Educational booth to qualify.

About Kurzweil 1000

Kurzweil 1000 helps people with severe visual impairments to access virtually any printed or electronic publication by making text audible. The product also provides an array of accessible tools for searching, indexing, outlining, annotating, embossing, creating documents or audio files. Kurzweil 1000 enables online access to books, educational tools that promote more active reading and home office productivity. Kurzweil Educational has designed the product so that it is easy to use for beginners, yet powerful and flexible enough for advanced users.

About Kurzweil Educational Systems, Inc.

Kurzweil Educational Systems, founded in 1996, is the industry leader and innovator of scanning, reading and writing solutions for people with learning disabilities, and people who are blind or visually impaired. Ray Kurzweil, a co-founder of the original company, invented computer-based reading machine technology 25 years ago to provide access to printed text for the blind. With a pioneering history in developing assistive technology, the company has received worldwide recognition for enabling people with disabilities to lead more independent lives through improved reading and writing abilities. Kurzweil 3000, the company's flagship product for individuals with reading and writing disabilities, recently won the "District's Choice Top 100 Product" 2003 Award published by the District Administration magazine and "Media and Methods Awards Portfolio" 2003 Award from Media and Methods magazine. For more company or product information, visit https://www.kurzweiledu.com.