Category: accessible Devices
Ever wish you could read the paper every morning like most sighted people do?
For those of you who do not know, Newsline is a program created by the nfb. The purpose of newsline is to make newspapers and magazines accessible for the blind. The way it works is, newsline is free for anyone who is blind or unable to read regular print material. Keep in mind you have to have some kind of documentation stating this. Anyway, once you register, there is a phone number you call and you will get your own username and pin code to enter. There are several newspapers and magazines in there, mostly the huge popular ones like The New York Times and such. The selection is growing as time goes on! I also hear it is easy and convenient to navigate through, and you have several options to control the speech. I dont currently have a newsline account, but am considering registering. I personally dont really care about the news much, and as I'm from Lubbock, there's no Lubbock papers in there, so it's probably not a whole lot of use to me, but I just wanted to see if anyone else uses it, and to put it out there!
For more info, you can call (866) 504-7300
Or visit
http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Newspapers_by_Phone.asp
And note i was a little hesitant to post the phone number, but I dont think it's considered private information, as it is something for the public, but I could be wrong!
You might be surprised at the way you use Newsline once you have an account and play with the system. For me, the nicest feature is the TV listings. You can customize them for your area and your TV provider (cable, phone company, over-the-air, etc.) Its also nice to be able to access information that friends or co-workers are discussing if there's an article in the local paper.
Lou
Yes, I believe they do have a tv guide. Also I forgot to mention that nls can assist with registration, and you can do it through them. Also, this is a service in the US, so I'm not sure if any of hte other countries have a similar service. Anyway, I am going to register, because there is also interesting nfb news on there that I might be interested in. I'm gonna call the Talking Book Program and see if they can help me with that, but yeah, it's really cool! Again, sorry if the number isn't supposed to be there, in which case, you may delete it. I'm not trying to break any rules! Smile!
I use it every day, not only for my local paper but several other papers have columns that I like. For example, I'm always reading health articles. The L.A. Times has a health section on Mondays, the Washington Post has one on Tuesdays, and there are certain sections of a few other papers I like.
I also love the TV Guide feature. It works great.
And I'm sure giving the phone number was a good idea. I think people can try it out for free. I did before I registered.
Yeah, I did that so those who didn't want to bother looking online or just wanted some more info could call. i am already registered so I'm just waitng for the letter. Yeah, i'd totally forgotten about the tv guide feature! i'm not much for tv, but I can see how these things can come in handy!
I have not used newsline in quite a while. might have to call again soon, just for the TV listings.