Hello Steve
In Canada, there is a broadcast reaing service, national broadcast Reading
service[NBRS]. unfortunately, this service is only available to those
fortunate enough to be cable subscribers. Prior to the launching of the
service, blind activists lobbied vigorously for the service to be broadcast
on a radio frequency thus ensuring easy and affordable access to anyone
across the vast expanses of this country. I believe that by choosing to
ignore these voices of reason, the NBRS has failed to provide a very
valuable and necessary service toCanadian citizens unable to read print
material. I would be interested to learn more about the Brisbane
service,the full range of its broadcast capability, how it is funded, who
initiated it and was it perceived from the onset as a public service to
those unable to read print. As the use of the internetbecomes more
commonplace, many of the information barriers to those unable to read print
will disappear. however, having convenient, timely and affordable access to
relevant information will always be an important factor in providing print
handicapped citizenswith a feeling of independeence, equality and
self-determination, within society . Regards, Beryl williams.
-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Richardson <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Friday, January 01, 1999 8:27 PM
Subject: Re: chi: sun-times article on cris radio
>I found this article quite interesting, as the radio reading service
>described is almost identical to the one I work at in Brisbane. The one
>small exception is that we broadcast on an a.m. frequency which can be
>picked up by any radio. I would be interested to know if there any other
>such services in North America and any other parts of the world that this
>mailing list gets to.
>
>At 06:55 31/12/98 -0600, you wrote:
>>Radio station reads newspapers for the blind
>>
>> December 28, 1998
>>
>> BY BRENDA WARNER ROTZOLL STAFF REPORTER
>>
>> Every day, 40,000 Chicago area residents wake up and listen to the
>> local newspapers being read nearly cover-to-cover on radio station
>> CRIS.
>>
>> Only radios with a special crystal can pick up its signal, carried on
>> a special FM subfrequency. Those radios are free to people who are
>> blind, visually impaired or physically unable to hold a newspaper and
>> turn its pages.
>>
>> ``CRIS Radio gives me a knowledge of what's in the news, what other
>> people are seeing and talking about,'' said John Erickson, a bond
>> strategist in private assets management for LaSalle Bank, who has been
>> blind since he was 12.
>>
>> For Jimm Stephenson of Matteson, a retired mental health technician
>> who can only make out a little large type with the aid of a magnifying
>> glass, it's a chance to hear what columnists are saying and what's in
>> the comics, horoscopes and feature sections.
>>
>> At various times of the day, news, sports, features, columns,
>> editorials, business news and even ads from area newspapers large and
>> small are read by some of the 200 regular volunteers. There are a few
>> programs from New York.
>>
>> ``I appreciate the homeyness of it,'' Stephenson said. ``They make
>> mistakes and mispronunciations and they get lost and have to find
>> their place again. It's like a friend has come over to read for you.''
>>
>> Chicagoland Radio Information Service, the full name of CRIS Radio,
>> started June 1, 1980, soon after columnist Ron Alridge asked in print
>> why the third largest city in America did not have a radio reading
>> service. Broadcasters and performers, business executives and members
>> of the Central Lions Club got together to develop CRIS.
>>
>> In the beginning, there were six hours of broadcasting, five days a
>> week. Today CRIS is on the air 24 hours a day, seven days a week,
>> mostly reading newspapers but also offering locally produced health
>> and cultural programs. There's news on computers, food, fashion,
>> everyday living and the day's television listings. Once a month there
>> is an audio description of a popular movie.
>>
>> CRIS also is carried at various hours on Chicago Access Network
>> Television cable channels 19 and 21, and full time on channel 32 of
>> 21st Century Cable of Chicago.
>>
>> Every FM station has a subfrequency. Most of them rent theirs out for
>> ethnic or special-interest use. WBEZ donates its to CRIS, which
>> broadcasts from cramped quarters off the Pedway beneath the Chicago
>> Cultural Center. Funding comes from Lions Clubs and private and
>> corporate donations. Most equipment was donated by broadcasters.
>>
>> People who qualify for a free CRIS radio receiver or want to volunteer
>> or make a donation may call the station at (312) 541-8400. Others who
>> want to buy a set for $55 may call Cosmo Com Corp. in San Francisco at
>> (650) 737-9686.
>>
>>
>>VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
>>To join or leave the list, send a message to
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>>
>>
>>
>Kind regards
>
> Steve
>
>
>VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
>To join or leave the list, send a message to
>[log in to unmask] In the body of the message, simply type
>"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
> VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
>http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask] In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
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