Radio Talk Show for the Visually Impaired

By Carla Ruschival
BellaOnline's Vision Issues Editor
Sound Prints is a weekly radio talk show all about topics of interest to the blind and visually impaired. It is also a good resource for family members of people who are just losing their vision.
Sound Prints brings you an hour of news and interesting interviews each week. Subjects discussed include:

• Jobs - It is estimated that nearly 70 per cent of people with low vision are unemployed or underemployed. Guests on Sound Prints are often blind or visually impaired people who are working successfully in a variety of jobs.
• Technology - Adaptive technology is bringing all kinds of new opportunities to the blind. Not only does technology open up new jobs, but it also makes it possible for visually impaired people to handle many daily tasks much more easily. Talking microwaves, talking clocks, accessible games and MP3 players are just a few examples of everyday adaptive technology. Computers that talk, braille displays, and handheld electronic magnifiers are very high-tech and very helpful, both on and off the job. Sound Prints listeners learn about the latest in high and low tech.
• Legislation and Advocacy - Sound Prints keeps you up-to-date on the latest bills, court cases and regulations that impact blind and visually impaired people. Question-and-answer show segments help listeners learn how existing laws apply to their daily lives. Topics such as transportation, Social Security, Medicare, accessible currency, and accessible textbooks are just some of the issues discussed.
• Daily Living Tips - The show hosts and listeners often share all kinds of tips and ideas. Hobbies, cooking tips, and new gadgets are often discussed.Upcoming events - Upcoming national events, as well as activities of interest to visually impaired Kentuckians, are covered on each week's show.

Sound Prints is produced by the Kentucky Council of the Blind. It has been on the air since May, 2002. Its co-hosts are Michael McCarty and Carla Ruschival.
Michael is a graduate of the Kentucky School for the Blind and the University of Louisville; his major was communications. He is currently employed as the Fred's Head Database Co-ordinator at the American Printing House for the Blind. He is a parent, guide dog user, and vice president of both the Kentucky Council of the Blind and the Greater Louisville Council of the Blind.
Carla is also a graduate of the Kentucky School for the Blind and the University of Louisville, with a degree in elementary education. She has run her own business, taught children and *****s for over 30 years, and currently homeschools her grandson. She is a Lion, a member of the boards of the Guide Dog Users of Kentucky, the KSB Alumni Association, the Council of Families with Visual Impairment, and the Kentucky Council of the Blind. Nationally, she is a director on the Board of the American Council of the Blind, and she co-ordinates the ten-day annual ACB convention.
You can listen to Sound Prints in three different ways:

• Sound Prints is broadcast live each week on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00 PM Eastern Time. It is heard on WKJK 1080-AM in Louisville, Kentucky.
• Sound Prints is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on the Kentucky Council of the Blind website: http://www.kentucky-acb.org/ and follow the Sound Prints link; the new show is usually available by 10:00 PM Eastern Time each Wednesday evening.
  Sound Prints is heard on ACB Radio Mainstream, beginning on Thursday evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time and repeating every odd hour through 7:00 PM Eastern on Friday evening. http://www.acbradio.org/ and follow the Mainstream channel link to hear the show.