Audio-Reader

The Radio Reading Service

Links:

On This Page:

Radio Reading Service
Personal Taping
Audio Description
Fax Response
Application Information
Back to home page

Costs of producing the monthly Large Print Program Guide are underwritten by

Kresie & Penzler, M.D., P.A.

Pfizer Ophthalmics

The Braille guide is funded by the
Kansas Lions Sight Foundation
and the
Ethel and Raymond Rice Foundation.

The Original Audio-Reader Program

Audio-Reader's original program is a Radio Reading Service for anyone who has difficulty reading standard printed material. Broadcasting 24 hours a day from studios at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Audio-Reader uses a large pool of volunteers to read daily and weekly newspapers, magazines and books, as well as news, interviews and other programs dealing with disability and aging issues.

Who may receive Audio-Reader?

Any person whose eyesight or physical condition make it difficult or impossible to read a newspaper or book may receive our broadcasts. Audio-Reader is also available to patients in several hospitals in Kansas and Missouri. There is no charge for service.

How do listeners pick up Audio-Reader?

Audio-Reader is generally broadcast on the subcarrier of an FM radio station. This means a special radio is required in the home. Audio-Reader radio

The radio is provided by Audio-Reader, on loan, for as long as it is wanted. In some locations Audio-Reader may only be available through the local cable company. In those cases, Audio-Reader will provide a special radio if one is required, but the listener will have to subscribe and pay for basic cable service. Listeners receive a program guide in large print, Braille, or cassette.

Private satellite dish owners will probably not be able to receive our signal, now that it's digital. However, here are the details for those who wish to try:

Satellite: Galaxy 4R
Transponder: 3C
Downlink: 3755.5 MHz
Int. Freq: 65.5 MHz
EIRP: 13 dBW
Allocated B/W: 100 kHz
Modulation: Digital SCPC (ComStream 64 kbps format)
Network ID: 10
Channel ID: 13

For information on where the signal may be picked up in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, go to the "Where Is Audio-Reader Available?" page.

Established in 1971, Audio-Reader was one of the first radio reading services in the world. Today, with the help of FM radio broadcasters, cable TV companies, microwave relay systems, and the Kansas Lions Sight Foundation Satellite Network, reading by radio is available to thousands of people all across Kansas and western Missouri, with some programming available via satellite through other radio reading services across the US.

Audio Description

Audio Description is the art of talking pictorially to make theater, television, films, museum exhibits and events more accessible for people with diminished (or no) vision. The describer sits in a booth and watches the stage, describing the visual action of the performance. Blind or visually impaired theater patrons obtain a pair of lightweight headphones in the lobby, and can listen to this closed-circuit channel during the perfomrance.

Theater performances with Audio Description are available at:

The Lied Center, Lawrence
Lawrence Community Theater
Yardley Hall, Johnson County Community College
Missouri Rep, Kansas City

Theater patrons can be seated anywhere in the audience, and during pauses in the stage dialog the listener will hear descriptions of actions, body language, lights, costume, scenery, and other aspects of the production not conveyed by voices from the stage.

No preregistration or certification of disability is required to use the headset, nor is there any charge for the service. In some cases, the headphone system supplies two channels of audio, the main sound system signal (for persons with hearing problems) and the description channel. Listeners are free to listen to either channel, or both at the same time. Click here to see a schedule of performances that will be Audio Described.

Other Services

Other services include Personal Taping and Fax Response. Pamphlets, newsletters, articles, instruction manuals or other printed materials under 100 pages can be mailed to Audio-Reader and a volunteer will read the text onto a cassette. Shorter documents may be faxed to our offices and we will telephone the sender and read them back, usually within a half hour. Details about these services are available upon request.

Audio-Reader also operates a newspaper-by-telephone system, the Lions Telephone Reader, covered on a separate page.

How do I apply for Audio-Reader service?

There is a standard application form which requires the signature of a doctor, librarian, or representative of a recognized social agency. Call us between 8 and 5 on a weekday, or write or fax, and we'll mail you an application. Or,

click to download an application form, Acrobat format to print on your own printer, and fill it out and mail to us.

Phone Numbers and Address

How can I help?

You can help by communicating the message of Audio-Reader. By letting others know this service exists, you can help us reach the thousands of people who still have no way to read best selling books and today's newspapers.

You can help by reading for Audio-Reader. Newspapers are broadcast live from our Lawrence studios, and books and magazines are prerecorded at a time convenient for the reader. For more information, go to the page "Volunteering For Audio-Reader" or call us.

You can help by giving to Audio-Reader. By supporting Audio-Reader, you help expand service to more people across Kansas. Listeners are supplied with a radio free of charge...old radios wear out and eventually must be replaced. The thousands of radios involved represent a significant expense.

Make Audio-Reader your project. It's rewarding and fruitful, the need is great, and there is much to do.

Phone Numbers, Addresses and Other Information

Back to Home Page