New Audio Journal program “Voices of Light” to feature middle school students

Audio Journal’s “Voices of Light” presents a unique opportunity for partnerships in developing community, education, the arts, and human services for young people in our area. It will initially engage middle school students from Auburn, Leicester and Oxford in service to a vulnerable segment of the community through a distinctive reading program.

Audio Journal, located in Worcester, is Central New England’s radio reading service for blind or otherwise disadvantaged individuals. A free service, it provides broadcast readings of local and national newspapers and other publications. Additionally, programming is developed in general interest areas such as history, science, travel and cooking, as well as specific interest programming such as elderly and disability issues.

Whenever possible, individuals with disabilities are included in the 170 plus volunteer force which the agency relies upon to accomplish over 2,600 hours of air time annually. A relatively new facet of the program incorporates employment training and internships for legally blind persons. These efforts attempt to affect the 70% unemployment rate among able blind individuals, and make an important difference in someone’s life.

Children, both blind and sighted, have always been included and encouraged at Audio Journal. We have been producing the weekly “Children’s Hour” for over 10 years, visits from youth groups are a regular occurrence, and outreach efforts to local schools continue to be an ongoing project.

With the assistance of the school administrators and teachers, we will establish a reading program that will be recorded and played on the air at Audio Journal. Students will form a “Voices of Light” team and gather weekly to choose readings, determine roles, and rehearse their choices. Audio Journal will initially be present for training and coaching. We will also conduct a blind awareness session featuring our blind Outreach/Development Coordinator and others. 

Audio Journal will be responsible for procuring the necessary equipment to enable remote recordings at the school. The equipment will include:

• a digital recorder with removable flash drives
• up to four microphones, with cords and table top stands
• a simple mixer to balance microphone levels
• a portable case to store and secure the equipment
• appropriate reading materials, as agreed upon with the instructor

Minimum participation to be included in sponsorship credit is only $250.

“Voices of Light” will broadcast every Sunday at 4 pm

Sponsors will receive credit at the beginning and end of each program, on-line, in media news releases and in our quarterly newsletter.

Sponsors will also be listed on CD insert and cover.

Recorded sessions will be forwarded to Audio Journal to be edited and mixed by one of our blind trainees. The finished product will be aired and copies of the finished program will be supplied to the teacher.

Evaluation of this program will be shared by Audio Journal and the participating schools. The quality and effect of the program will be determined by surveying listeners, our board of directors, the Massachusetts Reading Network, and the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind.

Together we will attempt to determine:

• the listenership
• the effect on reading skills and understanding of those with disabilities
• the broadcast quality of the program
• the receptiveness of the community to help fund the initiation and sustainability of the program

A program of this nature has the potential to affect many lives. The students will be challenged in a new and exciting way that can improve reading and presentation skills, and learn about disabilities and the persons affected by them.

Surveys have indicated that our young listeners, although few in number, are being underserved. We have also learned that our larger percentage of listeners, those over 65, enjoy hearing younger voices on occasion, and welcome the opportunity to share an activity with a youngster by listening together.

Audio Journal will benefit by broadening our listening audience, and by offering those in our trainee/intern program meaningful, challenging work. The effect on an individual having produced a well edited program is difficult to measure. The pride, feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction derived from a job well done can do so much to improve a disabled person’s self esteem.

“Voices of Light” is a program that Audio Journal intends to live on for many years, a program that students, teachers, and sponsors will be proud to be a part of.

Call Audio Journal at 508-797-1117, email info@audiojournal.net or visit our donations page to participate.