VOICEcorps is an essential service for people with medical conditions that prevent them from using print material, providing a tool for independent access to information. Volunteers read aloud from current local & national newspapers, plus 200 other print publications & neighborhood shopping fliers. Check out the program listings and learn more about Audio on Demand.
VOICEcorps’ broadcasts are available in central & southern Ohio and through over-the-air broadcasting in northwest, east, & southeast Ohio. And its internet streaming goes everywhere there is web access! The programs are a high-quality resource of news, information, education, & entertainment. To learn how to tune in to any of its formats, please call VOICEcorps at 614-274-7650. If you are eligible and are interested in receiving services, you can register here.
Volunteer
Volunteers are the foundation of what VOICEcorps does. From reading aloud to planning special events, doing clerical work or electronics repair, volunteers are needed. A few hours a week or a few hours a month. Volunteers are matched with the job that fits their schedules and interests. Print & mail the Volunteer Application or send an email to voicecorps@voicecorps.org.
There is an audition for those who want to become readers, so that only the best voices are heard on the air! But volunteers are also needed for outreach–there are more than 120,000 eligible users, and volunteers are needed to get the word out to the community!
VOICEcorps also needs help to maintain a working supply of the special radios it loans to eligible people. These radios are a lifeline for someone who cannot use the web and or on-screen TV menus to access digital TV channels. And each September, VOICEcorps hosts a Golf Outing–volunteers are needed to recruit players, acquire auction items, sell hole sponsorships, and distribute fliers.
Donate
VOICEcorps is funded through a combination of state & city public grants, foundation grants, and individual & corporate donations. Individual donations are needed & very much appreciated! VOICEcorps is a central Ohio 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so donations are fully tax deductible.
More About VOICEcorps
It began in 1975 when blind members of the Columbus community advocated for a broadcast-based reading service. They succeeded, and on November 17, VOICEcorps began reading the Columbus Dispatch and a limited set of other print publications on the sub-carrier of WOSU-FM, using the name Central Ohio Radio Reading Service. It was the first radio reading service in the state and the third of its kind in the world.
Since then, VOICEcorps has added internet streaming, Alexa devices, and digital television channels to its network, which now covers more than 120,000 eligible Ohio residents.
The VOICEcorps Audience
Anyone who cannot read print because of a disability is eligible for VOICEcorps’ service. Some listeners are totally blind while others have low vision from one of a variety of illnesses. Some can no longer turn the pages of a newspaper because they have had an injury, stroke, or Parkinson’s disease. Still others are unable to read due to dyslexia or a military service-related injury.
VOICEcorps Programing
While its program schedule is anchored in print-based material, it adds a few hours of public affairs programming designed specifically to inform & educate people. Its interview programs feature other service organizations & civic groups, consumer advocacy associations, and often highlight meetings & events.
VOICEcorps uses broadcasting & internet streaming to deliver those readings in a 24-hour schedule. Its volunteers & systems are extremely reliable–throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the VOICEcorps audience was never without a daily newspaper. This level of dedication & service offers the audience access to print news that’s nearly equal to that of their sighted neighbors.
