This week, six local newspapers who have been working with Vision Australia to produce a talking version of their publication will transition to a digital format.
The service was previously being run by local volunteers who select articles from the paper and record them onto cassette in their own homes. However cassettes will soon become obsolete so Vision Australia has developed a new service to keep residents up to date with their local news.
“The Talking Newspaper volunteers have done a terrific job in providing this vital service over many years and it has made a huge difference in the lives of our clients,” says Michael Ward, National Coordinator Audio Description and Talking Newspaper, Vision Australia.
“The new system builds on the current service by using digital technology to produce a high quality product that can easily be navigated. Vision Australia clients can skip through the content to find the information that is of interest to them and they will receive their newspaper at around the same time as their sighted neighbours,” he added.
The new service will be produced centrally in a Digital Access Information System (DAISY) format and can be played on a specially designed digital playback device, available from Vision Australia.
The six local papers transitioning are (these links will open in a new window):
The service was previously being run by local volunteers who select articles from the paper and record them onto cassette in their own homes. However cassettes will soon become obsolete so Vision Australia has developed a new service to keep residents up to date with their local news.
“The Talking Newspaper volunteers have done a terrific job in providing this vital service over many years and it has made a huge difference in the lives of our clients,” says Michael Ward, National Coordinator Audio Description and Talking Newspaper, Vision Australia.
“The new system builds on the current service by using digital technology to produce a high quality product that can easily be navigated. Vision Australia clients can skip through the content to find the information that is of interest to them and they will receive their newspaper at around the same time as their sighted neighbours,” he added.
The new service will be produced centrally in a Digital Access Information System (DAISY) format and can be played on a specially designed digital playback device, available from Vision Australia.
The six local papers transitioning are (these links will open in a new window):
- Central Western Daily
- Macedon Ranges Guardian
- Manning River Times
- Midland Express
- Moreland Leader
- and the Wentworth Courier