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Pendle Voice Pendle's Talking Newspaper
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NEWS ITEMS
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Sightline - computer training for blind and visually impaired people through national lottery grants
The EASE awards - copied from TNAUK website
Publications available from TNAUK in computer format [25th Anniversary Celebrations] [Newsletter] [Newspapers and Magazines] [Pendle Residents] [TNAUK] [UK Residents
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Spreading the net with SIGHTLINE
Sussex based national charity, the Talking Newspaper Association of the UK (TNAUK) has just landed a huge grant from The National Lottery Charities Board to provide computer resource centres at 45 of its local Talking Newspaper groups. A total of £191,567 has been awarded under the Community involvement programme to fund an innovative project called SIGHTLINE For over 25 years, TNAUK has been spreading the written word to blind and disabled subscribers using audio cassettes. We have long been aware of the benefits of information technology and our taped versions of newspapers and magazines have gradually been complemented by a range of computer formats: disk, email, CD-ROM, Bulletin Board and the internet. The SIGHTLINE project is unique in enabling local Talking Newspaper groups to provide etext versions of national and local news and information. This will take place within the context of a supportive introduction to computers, aimed at blind people who may otherwise not have this opportunity. The age of the electronic newsagent has arrived, with blind and disabled people becoming enthusiastic beneficiaries. Speech synthesis is now a popular listening tool for some 1,500 subscribers, and the numbers are growing every week. Over a three-year period, the lottery grant will enable TNAUK to provide training and access for many thousands of visually impaired people in the supportive environment of a local Talking Newspaper SIGHTLINE computer centre. On-going technical support and advice will be available from Computer Services staff at the National Recording Centre. Newly appointed Director of TNAUK, Tim McDonald confirmed that this is the largest grant ever received by the Association: "We are continually exploring new ways of supporting our countrywide network of local Talking Newspaper group members who work so hard to provide information at the community level. Now we will be able to extend the range of formats in which news is available to our blind listeners everywhere, opening up a world of independent access to information they wish to discover." The first 15 SIGHTLINE computers will be set up and running by the end of 2000, based on a prototype piloted at Walsall Talking Newspaper earlier this year. Many of their listeners now access their own local newspaper, the Express & Star, using the computer. They also have access to the full range of National Service titles available on the TNAUK website and weekly CD-ROM, and can download items of interest, or complete publications. Building on this success with enthusiasm, many other local Talking Newspaper groups have already sent staff to be trained at the National Recording Centre, in anticipation of the necessary funding becoming available. Now, with the lottery grant in place, the hundreds of Talking Newspaper groups throughout the country can finally open their doors to blind and disabled people whose horizons will be widened through electronic access to the world of news and information that computers can provide. For further information, please contact Maggie Healy Tel 01435 866102 Fax 01435 865422 email maggie@tnauk.org.uk
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EASE OF ACCESS, SERVICE AND EMPLOYMENT PRESS RELEASE - July 2000 Organization Receives Nominations in National Disability Awards In a national Awards scheme Talking Newspaper Association of the UK has received nominations from members of the public, acknowledging the efforts they have made to ensure that their facilities meet the needs of disabled people. National charity, Queen Elizabeth's Foundation for Disabled People - who assist over 100,000 disabled people every year - invited members of the public to nominate businesses, employers and voluntary services that demonstrate good practice for disabled people. Called the EASE (Ease of Access, Service and Employment) Awards it was launched in partnership with Unum, in association with The Express and supported by Bunzl plc, and is now in its fourth year. Categories for nominations include the following: supermarkets, shopping centre/precinct, bank/building society, pub/restaurant, entertainment/visitor attraction, bus/coach/train operator, airport, airline, travel agent/operator, hotel/hotel group, a Community Achievement and the prestigious Special Award for overall awareness. Commented Tony Richins, Director of Marketing, "The response to the fourth EASE Awards has been phenomenal, with nominations the length and breadth of the UK. The Awards present a unique opportunity for companies and organisations to gain recognition for their efforts in improving facilities and services for people with disabilities. We hope the EASE Awards will continue to encourage greater awareness and understanding of individual needs." Each category will have three finalists short listed who will undergo extensive audits and assessments. An authoritative panel on disability issues including TV presenters Heather Mills and Lara Crooks, athlete Tanni Grey-Thompson, journalist Sue Amold, Louise Clifford and Dr Stephen Duckworth OBE will decide the winners. Winners will be announced at a high profile Luncheon at The London Hilton on 4th October 2000.
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PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE FROM TNAUK IN COMPUTER FORMATS We also provide a large number of newspapers and magazines as e-texts i.e. electronic texts that require a computer to read them. You can get access to them in five different ways:
A W after the publication means the paper is published weekly, M for monthly, Q for quarterly and BM for bi-monthly.
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NATIONAL DAILY NEWSPAPERS REGIONAL DAILY NEWSPAPERS
PLEASE NOTE: Capacity restrictions mean we cannot put national and regional daily newspapers on floppy disk. WEEKLY NEWSPAPERS WEEKLY MAGAZINES MONTHLY MAGAZINES PLEASE NOTE: These publications are subject to availability QUARTERLY MAGAZINES ANNUAL MISCELLANEOUS
Please telephone us to obtain your password
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