Newsline for the Blind

NFB-NEWSLINE®

FREE SERVICE TO THOSE WHO CANNOT READ REGULAR NEWSPRINT! OVER 250 NEWSPAPERS AVAILABLE!

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CALL TOLL FREE: 1-866-504-7300 for more information

Overview

Would you like a newspaper with your morning beverage? NFB-NEWSLINE® added its 250th newspaper in 2007 AND it’s still growing. Four Spanish-language newspapers are now available to all subscribers. The service handles thousands of phone calls each day for individuals across the country who now access daily newspapers and magazines as never before. The toll-free centralized call-in center provides service on demand to any subscriber. This also enables those who cannot read conventional print to have access to all content offered on NFB-NEWSLINE® when traveling throughout the United States twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. This is a free service to all blind and visually impaired people. Here in Utah we get several local newspapers including Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret Morning News, Associated Press Utah , Park City Park Register, Provo Daily Herald, USA Today and hundreds of other newspapers around the country. We express appreciation to the DSBVI and the Utah State Library for their financial support for making this free service available to blind people.

Every day, a subscriber can choose that day’s, the previous day’s, or the previous Sunday’s issue of any newspaper in the service. On NFB-NEWSLINE®, the user can easily choose which newspaper, section, and article to read using a standard touch-tone telephone. The menu provided allows the user to change the speed and voice settings, spell out words, or search for a particular word or subject.

NFB-NEWSLINE® now offers more choices than ever, including special local channels to distribute announcements of specific interest to the blind. THE NEW YORKER, THE ECONOMIST, AARP the MAGAZINE, and DIABETES SELF-MANAGEMENT are on NFB-NEWSLINE®.

Arts and culture, national and international news are available on NFB-NEWSLINE® through magazines. Just press Option 7.

How To Sign Up

Anyone who cannot read printed newspapers due to vision loss, dyslexia, or a physical disability is eligible to receive NFB-NEWSLINE®. Register by calling your state’s Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, or by calling the National Federation of the Blind toll-free at 1 (866) 504-7300 to request an application. You may also download an application or fill out our online application to register. After your registration is processed, you’ll receive a letter containing your activation codes and instructions on how to begin reading the newspaper with NFB-NEWSLINE®.

For additional information you can call the local affiliate; National Federation of the Blind of Utah at (801) 292-3000 or the Utah State Library for the Blind and Disabled at 801-715-6789 in the SLC area or 800-662-5540 Inside Utah.

NEWSPAPERS BY E-MAIL

GET THE NEWSPAPER IN YOUR E-MAIL INBOX! NFB-NEWSLINE® has a feature for our subscribers on the go. We can e-mail the newspaper to Subscriber’s inbox in DAISY 3 format. This allows subscribers to read the newspaper on their PC or portable device. Using this method our subscribers can be more portable, and also help save us money on our phone bill. To sign up for this service you must first be a registered NFB-NEWSLINE® user. If you need to subscribe visit the subscription page. If you are already a subscriber you can fill in the subscribe to e-mail delivery or download and print out a form and return it to us. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with instructions once you have been signed up for e-mail delivery.

To read the papers in this format you must have a DAISY reader. This is either a software program or a hardware device that is able to read the DAISY file. For an overview of DAISY and the devices and programs that are designed to read the files, visit www.daisy.org.

Who Can Benefit?

Anyone who cannot read conventional newsprint could qualify for this free service. Many seniors have lost enough vision that reading the daily newspaper is no longer possible. They will enjoy being able once again to participate actively in community affairs. Blind children are now able to research their own civics assignments and do their homework independently. NFB-NEWSLINE® is the only service that makes so much information available to these eligible people twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.