End of an era as talking newspapers for blind go silent
Volunteers record very last audio tapes
Advances in technology have led to the end of an era for the county’s Talking News service.
For nearly half a century, volunteers for Maidstone charity the Kent Association of the Blind have been religiously recording themselves reading aloud from local newspapers, then posting out the recordings free of charge so blind residents can hear them.
In years gone by, it was found to be a vital service in keeping visually impaired people engaged with what’s going in their community.
However, with today’s widespread use of computers and the advances in assistive technology, fewer and fewer people have been using the recordings and at the end of last month, the service was wound up.
Now, the visually impaired can use screen readers, refreshable braille displays, and digital screen magnification to keep them up to date with news from
online news websites.
Eithne Rynne, the chief executive of the charity, which is based in College Road, Maidstone, said: “For more than 45 years, Kent Association for the Blind has been providing a Talking News service for hundreds of people across Kent.
“In the 1990s, the Talking News service was listened to by around 3,000 people. But with significant advances in technology over the years, people with a sight impairment are accessing news and information in a variety of different ways.”
She said: “As a result, and despite our best efforts to recruit more listeners, there has been a significant fall in the number of people accessing the service, to less than 300 listeners across the county.
“In Maidstone, which was the largest of the local Talking News editions, there are just 50 listeners.
“It is truly with a heavy heart that we have decided to stop the Talking News service.
“But while we will no longer be providing a local news service, people can still access news about equipment to help them live more independently, tips on staying safe when out and about, details about local social and support groups and more, through our newsletters.”
Ms Rynne added: “I would like to thank all our dedicated volunteers who gave up their time each week to record and distribute the local news.
“We are so grateful to everyone who gave their friendly voices to reading the news.”
The Talking Newspapers were produced at 13 locations in Kent.