Audio-Reader program highlights content for Black and African American people with visual and print disabilities.


Lawrence, KS – Audio-Reader Network, an audio information service for print-disabled individuals, is proud to highlight content focused on African American issues of news, politics, culture, sports and entertainment in its weekly “African American Hour” radio program and podcast. The program presents a variety of content from print newspapers, magazines, and online publications, specifically curated to present African American stories and perspectives, for audiences with visual or print disabilities. Rosemarie Onwukwe and Bryon Buckner are the volunteer readers who alternate hosting the weekly program.

The African American Hour can be heard every Sunday at 2pm on Audio-Reader’s broadcast stream, available on special closed circuit radios, via reader.ku.edu, and an Amazon Alexa Skill. The program is also available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. Audio-Reader’s programs are intended solely for individuals who cannot read conventional print due to a disability.

How does Audio-Reader work?

The Audio-Reader Network fosters independence by providing access to information for people who have difficulty reading standard print due to vision loss, physical or learning disability, mobility challenges, and age. Audio-Reader volunteers read content that is recorded in audio format and distributed via closed circuit radios, on demand over the Telephone, and now by a variety of digital means including podcasts, the Audio-Reader Amazon Alexa skill, and streaming services like Soundcloud.

Why the African American Hour?

According to the National Eye Institute, African Americans are at higher risk for glaucoma at a much younger age than other populations, and more than 825,000 African Americans have diabetic retinopathy.[1]

Audio-Reader is dedicated to responding to the needs of our patrons and users, and to providing access to content from a wide variety of perspectives, voices and media. As well as small town newspapers and local content that is frequently unavailable to those with visual or print disabilities, regional and national publications that focus on issues facing specific audiences are an important part of our programming.

We are proud to work with our volunteer readers to develop the African American Hour and offer unique content, bringing material of interest to targeted audiences with shared interests or perspectives.

About the Hosts

Rosemarie Onwukwe is a 61-year-old African American woman and upcoming voice over artist with degrees in Communications and Education. Her passion for the community drew her to become a volunteer for Audio-Reader. Rosemarie also has a podcast titled Don’t Tell Your Mother with her daughter focusing on discussions relating to persons of color. Rosemarie is a recent semi-retired teacher after being in education for over 15 years. She loves traveling, meeting new people, and experiencing new cultures. She is half Nigerian and half American and grew up in both countries, attending boarding school in Nigeria.

Byron Buckner is a retired high school teacher who lives in Kansas City. He is retired from the Marine Corps where he was a radar repairman. Byron also served African American journalists in the Kansas City region as vice-president of broadcast for Kansas City Association of Black Journalists. Byron has two daughters, and when he is not barbecuing for his family, he enjoys flying kites and monitoring international shortwave radio broadcasts.

Find out more

Visit http://reader.ku.edu/ for more information about Audio-Reader.

Visit https://africanamericanhour.podbean.com/ to find ways to listen to the African American Hour podcast.

Contact Audio-Reader Program Manager Nick Carswell nickcarswell@ku.edu (785) 864-2686

 

###