4 Triple Zed appoints Station Advocate for PWD

4ZZZ is founded on the principles of diversity in music, programming, cooperation and inclusion of the diverse communities they engage with. They have been a voice for Brisbane’s marginalised communities and local music for over 40 years.

In keeping with this long tradition, 4ZZZ are working towards including more people with a disability at the station. In what is a national first for community radio, 4ZZZ have appointed a Station Advocate for people with disabilities. Continue reading “4 Triple Zed appoints Station Advocate for PWD”

Studio Recorder – Editing suite for the vision impaired

“Studio Recorder is a powerful digital recording and editing software package geared to making recordings of the spoken word. It includes features not found in audio recording and editing programs primarily designed for music production. Such features include:

  • Speed up playback with no pitch distortion
  • Three levels of phrase detection
  • Index tone generation and removal
  • Instant open on large files
  • Instant cut, copy, paste, and delete
  • Intercom functionality
  • Simple user interface
  • Accessibility for blind and visually impaired users
  • Multiple user marks and notes
  • Remote control support

Studio Recorder was originally written for internal use at American Printing House for the Blind to serve as a tool for creating direct to digital audio recordings for the National Library Service (NLS). It contains many features that ease the task of recording, editing, and proofreading audio books. It also includes features that simplify the production of analog cassette tapes from the digital master, and it aids in the production of Digital Talking Books.”

You can download it here: http://tech.aph.org/sr_info.htm

The APH also recommend this (sadly, now archived since 2010) resource on accessibility for the studio.

http://techaccessweekly.com/category/dailytips/our-studio/

New radio groups for people with ID in Brisbane

arpflyerAre you interested in learning some radio skills, making friends and sharing your musical tastes?

Do you identify as someone with an intellectual disability or support someone who does?

Come along to one of our MONTHLY radio groups!

On the Southside: We start a second radio group at West End Community House, 4 Norfolk Road, South Brisbane.
Starting 9:30 am on Thursday, February 2nd.
On the Northside: People of the Air radio group
re-starts in 2017 on January 27 at 1:30pm at 15 Jenner St Nundah.

RSVP: If you know or work with anyone with an intellectual disability or cognitive difference who might be interested in participating in one of our monthly radio groups, please feel free to contact Kim on 0413397839 or kims@4zzz.org.au

WATCH: CBAA panel talk about including more people with disabilities in community radio

Community radio was founded on principles of social inclusion. However, despite 1 in 5 Australians having a disability (ABS 2008), there are still few programs for or by people with disabilities on generalist stations. What does it take to make community radio work for people with a disability? How can we better support people who may have different needs to participate? In this workshop, hear the stories of people with a disability who have been successfully involved in community radio and develop an action plan to facilitate more involvement of people with disabilities in the sector. The session includes in-person, virtual and pre-recorded messages to the group to help include people with disabilities who were unable to come to the 2016 CBAA Conference.

Workshop: Building the involvement of people with disabilities in community radio – CBAA Conference 2016

Join us at the CBAA conference 2016!

The Community Radio Social Inclusion Project is a Australia-wide network of people dedicated to empowering the voices of people with a disability in community radio.

We hope that this network will develop out of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia conference, to be held in November 2016 in Melbourne.

At that conference community organisers from radio stations around Australia will meet to workshop ideas to make this happen.

Workshop: Building the involvement of people with disabilities in community radio

Community radio was founded on principles of social inclusion. However, despite 1in 5 Australians having a disability (ABS 2008), there are still few programs for or by people with disabilities on generalist stations. What does it take to make community radio work for people with a disability? How can we better support people who may have different needs to participate? In this workshop, hear the stories of people with a disability who have been successfully involved in community radio and develop an action plan to facilitate more involvement of people with disabilities in the sector. The session will include in-person, virtual and pre-recorded messages to the group to help include people with disabilities who are unable to come to the conference.

Presented by: Kim Stewart (Ability Radio Project & 4ZZZ), Caroline Savransky & Kate Wadley (Making Airwaves), Helen Gwilliam (3CR) and Bernadette Young (former ABC Brisbane Community Correspondent Coordinator)

https://www.cbaa.org.au/conference/2016-conference-program

People of the Air radio group: people with cognitive differences making radio

13245429_10153662752022898_8697857620926356113_nSince late 2015 a group of outspoken self-advocates from Brisbane have been making radio for the first time.

Meeting once a month at the offices of WWILD or the Community Living Association, the group have interviewed a range of guests so far.

Of interest to the Community Radio world is their interview with Steve Richardson.

Steve has vision-impairment and has been producing community radio for 20 years with the RPH network. He has been on the boards of 4RPH and the national network of RPH and currently produces his own weekly show, Access All Areas on 4RPH in Brisbane.

http://soundcloud.com/onlyhuman4zzz/050716onlyhuman-pota5-steverichardson

Listen in Brisbane, First Tuesday of the month at 7pm, Zed Digital. The People of the Air share a show with Zed Digital’s Only Human.

NOTE: You need a digital radio to listen in

OR

Hear some of our other shows on Soundcloud here:

https://soundcloud.com/onlyhuman4zzz

Your favourite free audio editor has accessibility

Audacity has built in accessibility features to assist vision-impaired radio producers.

A very important feature of Audacity is the ability to fully manipulate the selection using the keyboard.

Screen reader access works very well on Windows. Mac OS X screen reader support now requires considerable adjustment following a transition to wxWidgets 3, but a 2.1.1 accessible build is available on our Mac OS X downloads page. Screen reader support still needs further development on Linux.

See the Audacity Wiki here: http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Audacity_for_blind_users

There is also and Audacity For The Blind email list here: http://www.freelists.org/list/audacity4blind

ACMA: Digital radio offers accessibility for PWD

The Australian Communications and Media Authority released a 2010 report into the possibilities of digital radio in providing important services to PWD.

Some of the developments included:

  • captioned radio for the deaf
  • accessible design developments
  • digital radio for the blind or vision impaired
  • emergency warnings notifications for people with sensory impariments delivered via digital radio

Read the full report here (pdf download):  https://www.acma.gov.au/-/media/Broadcast-Carriage-Policy/Report/pdf/Digital-Radio-Accessibility-Developments-with-Digital-Radio-Technology-for-People-with-Disabilities-August-2010.PDF

Budget threat to CR funding

This is the excerpt for a placeholder post.

An important message from the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia:

The Federal Budget has failed to maintain funding for metropolitan community digital radio services in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. The CBAA has launched a campaign to show just how much support there is for our sector and how important it is to secure our digital future.

The Federal Budget contains cuts of $1.4 million p.a., funding that currently keeps community radio stations broadcasting on digital in 5 capital cities. Community radio’s standing alongside public and commercial broadcasters is at risk.

Please, sign here and make sure your friends know about it so they can sign it too.
In the midst of a very close election campaign I believe we can turn this funding shortfall around, but the only thing that will make a difference is you, and everyone who cares about the future of community radio.

Keep the Community in Your Radio by adding your voice.

You can also:

  1. Sign our petition
  2. Share our Facebook post on your station page
  3. Forward this email to others at your station
  4. Tweet using our hashtag – #keepcommunityradio