The award-winning Talking Information Center (TIC), a nonprofit reading service located in Marshfield, MA which broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to thousands of visually impaired listeners, will be on-site to record the Eighth Annual Blind Legislative Informational Networking Day (B.L.I.N.D.) on Thursday, March 24, 2016 in The Great Hall at the Massachusetts State House in Boston.
As a supporter and sponsor of this important event, TIC will air the taped broadcast on Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016 at 9:00 p.m.
Listeners will have a chance to hear Bruce Howell, Chair of the Rehabilitation Council at the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind serve as Master of Ceremonies. Advocates will visit representative and senators’ offices, and there will be product demonstrations, consumer presentations and an awards presentation.
“The purpose of Blind Legislative Informational Networking Day is to provide information as well as network with legislators on the need for appropriate funding for the blindness community’s unique service needs,” explained Jim Bunnell, TIC’s Executive Director.
The Governor’s proposed budget for FY2017 has recommended level funding for most of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB) state appropriations, along with the Perkins and Worcester Library programs. Funding support is also needed for special education for students with disabilities.
Critical programs to be funded include: The Perkins Library and the Worcester Talking Book Library; MCB’s Community Service account which includes funding for support for the Community Mobility and Orientation Program and the Deaf-Blind Community Access Network (DBCAN); and MCB’s Turning 22 account (4110-2000) covers supports and services for more severely disabled youth who are blind or visually impaired transitioning out of the special education system as well as for their continued care as adults.
The event is sponsored by Bay State Council of the Blind, Carroll Center for the Blind, Lowell Association for the Blind, Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, National Braille Press, National Federation of the Blind of Massachusetts, and Perkins, on behalf of the Friends of the Perkins Library and the Worcester Talking Book Library, and TIC.
“The proposed FY2017 budget takes into consideration the needs of specialized blindness services and its consumers who benefit from them. TIC fully supports these funding recommendations,” said Bunnell.
Tune in to TIC’s audio stream at www.ticnetwork.org to hear the Eighth Annual “B.L.I.N.D.” State House event delayed broadcast on March 27th. Listeners may also access the broadcast via specially tuned radio receiver; or through AudioNow by calling 712-832-7025 from a home or cell phone; or by smartphone app.
About TIC
The Talking Information Center (TIC), a nonprofit reading service located in Marshfield, MA, broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to visually-impaired and print-handicapped listeners including those suffering from AIDS, Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, stroke, paralysis or other physical illness that makes holding a publication or turning pages impossible.
TIC programming may be accessed several ways: via live audio stream at http://www.ticnetwork.org; by utilizing a specially tuned radio receiver; through AudioNow by calling 712-832-7025 from a home or cell phone; or by smartphone app. Listeners with smartphones may download the free TIC app by typing “Talking Information Center” in Apple or in the Google Play store for Android devices.
In 1977, Ed Perry, the founder of radio station WATD-FM in Marshfield, MA, donated his Subsidiary Carrier Authorization signal for use as the first radio reading service in New England. Now reaching 25,000 listeners, TIC broadcasts newspapers, magazines, books, and special consumer information on subjects including medical and stock market updates, jobs, sports, supermarket specials, voting guides, community newspapers, and television programs. TIC also broadcasts cultural programming including old-time radio drama, theater, and poetry.
TIC is a proud member of the International Association of Audible Information Services (IAAIS), and is also the hub of the Massachusetts Reading Network, broadcasting to all of Massachusetts as well as southern New Hampshire and Connecticut. Operating similarly to other broadcast networks, TIC has affiliates throughout the state of Massachusetts that provide inserts of local news and information that is of interest to listeners in their area. TIC is located at 130 Enterprise Drive, Marshfield, MA 02050. For more information visit www.ticnetwork.org or call (781) 834-4400.
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