Telegraph, The (Nashua, NH)

August 22, 2005
Section: Community Features

Newsline brings newspapers to those who have lost their sight

PATRICK McCLARY, Telegraph Staff   

NASHUA - David Brownell DWC ’72, loves to read the morning paper. But until recently, the city man couldn't find out what was going on in his neighborhood by thumbing through the latest issue of The Telegraph. After all, Brownell has been blind since birth. The 57-year-old Xavier House resident suffers from cerebral palsy, a disorder that has forced him to use a wheelchair his whole life. It also claimed his ability to see well. A common misconception is that blind people can't see at all, but on the contrary, people are considering blind if their vision is 20/200 or worse.

While Brownell can read the large headlines of the paper, he can't make out the small print. But for those like Brownell, reading a newspaper is no longer on the list of things he can't enjoy. Thanks to touch-tone telephones and speech-synthesizing technology, a service called Newsline, made possible by the National Federation of the Blind, allows people to "read" the newspaper and all they need is a phone.

Newsline works by calling a toll-free 800 or local number. Users are greeted with a list of options and can select local, regional and national newspapers as well as magazines. So far, of the 200 newspapers across the country available on Newsline, the only New Hampshire papers are The Telegraph and The Union Leader though the Portsmouth Herald might be added soon. Major newspapers including The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post and USA Today are also available. Right now, 37 states and the District of Columbia offer Newsline.

Once a selection is made, readers can peruse through sections of the paper. The system is easy to use and completely user driven.

"There's no interruptions," said Fred McGonis, a 56-year-old from Nashua. "You can adjust the speed (of the reader), adjust pitch, volume. It's amazing."

The free service is made possible through public and private donations. In New Hampshire, the state Legislature recently passed a bill that will keep the service up and running until at least .

"I think it's as cool as it gets. I haven't seen anything this good in a long time," said Brownell.

The blind aren't the only beneficiaries. In fact, senior citizens were a main audience that the creators of Newsline had in mind.

"They are accustomed to reading the paper their whole life," said John Pare, director of Sponsored Technology Outreach for the National Federation of the Blind and one of the chief creators of the system. "After losing the ability to drive, that's their biggest disappointment. Second is lack of access to the newspaper."

Pare might be partial to the service. He himself is blind and uses Newsline every day.

"I couldn't live without it," he said.

The service is available to anyone who has an inability to read a newspaper. Users are qualified through a simple application process. Various outlets across the country, and in each state, are responsible for signing up new users.

In New Hampshire, the Department of Education State Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, National Federation of the Blind of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Association for the Blind are all organizations that can sign up new users.

With more than 200 newspapers available nationwide, Newsline has brought those who can't read a newspaper a lifeline to their local news beyond television and radio.

"You want to know what's going on in your city hall or down the street," said McGonis. "Simple knowledge. You want to know that a power line was down just down the street."