IHETS partners with WFYI to offer audio streaming as part of Indiana Reading and Information Services (IRIS) project
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INDIANAPOLIS—A long-standing partnership between the Indiana Higher Education Telecommunication System (IHETS) and WFYI continues this month as the organizations begin testing to provide Web-based streaming audio to Hoosiers who have difficulty reading the normal print found in newspapers, magazines, books, and other publications. Commercial software products, such as speech-operated technology that assists individuals who use computers by “reading” information aloud and responding to voice input, are available to help the vision-impaired access information online. Some of these products are integrated with useful tools including visual magnifiers, screen readers, text-to-speech functions, and optical character recognition. IHETS will work with WFYI staff beginning this month to perfect the audio process. According to George Khazal, IHETS senior production research analyst, WFYI plans to promote the streaming to current IRIS users in April and the general public in May. Founded in 1982, WFYI's Indiana Reading and Information Services (IRIS) is an around-the clock communications link for the print-impaired. Hoosiers of all ages—including children, teens, adults and seniors—who cannot read normal print due to blindness, low vision, physical impairments, learning disorders, or illiteracy can stay current and in touch with local news recorded by IRIS volunteer readers. Each day, IRIS broadcasts recordings of information reported by local and national newspapers and magazines, including the Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis Business Journal, Indianapolis Monthly, Indianapolis Woman, The Recorder, The Criterion, New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and the Saturday Evening Post. News on topics ranging from personal health, cooking, pets, sports, music, and religion is offered. Children's publications, classic works of literature, poetry, and humor are also included. IHETS has provided real-time and on-demand video streaming services to state government, higher education institutions, and public-sector partners like WFYI for several years. IHETS offers a host of other services including IHETS Interactive, video conferencing, audio conferencing, and more. To learn how your organization can use streaming to increase access, enhance information sharing, or improve community outreach, contact communications@ihets.org. ### |
