Talking Information Center (TIC), a non-profit reading service based in Marshfield, MA, which broadcasts 24 hours a day to thousands of visually impaired and otherwise disabled listeners, is pleased to announce that Oce Harrison, Ed.D, Project Director of the New England ADA Center at the Institute for Human Centered Design in Boston, will be the guest speaker for their 24th Annual Wine Dinner Fundraiser on Thursday, November 3, 2016.
Dr. Harrison has directed the New England ADA Center since 2001 and provides ADA Title I Employment trainings throughout New England. She collaborated with the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University, which yielded groundbreaking research methods on various topics including “The Triumph of the Older Worker Despite the Great Recession.” She also led the region’s two largest events marking the 20th and the 25th Anniversary of the ADA on Boston Common.
TIC’s fundraising dinner will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Barker Tavern, a beautifully restored 17th century building located at 21 Barker Road in Scituate. Guests will enjoy a four course meal created specifically for this event by George Jordan, head chef at The Barker Tavern. Each meal will perfectly complement a corresponding wine.
The evening will also feature live and silent auctions that will include a trip to Baltimore to see the Red Sox take on the Orioles, admission passes to museums, foursomes with carts at the area’s most prestigious golf clubs, and even a tour of the State House by Representative Jim Cantwell.
All proceeds from the Annual Wine Dinner directly benefit TIC, which serves the listening needs of thousands of visually impaired and otherwise disabled listeners throughout Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire and Connecticut through its network affiliates in Mashpee, Pittsfield, Lowell, Springfield and Worcester. To donate an auction item or to sponsor this event, contact TIC’s Anna Dunbar at 781-834-4400 or adunbar@ticnetwork.org.
Seating is limited. The Annual Wine Dinner is a very popular fundraising event and advanced reservations are required. To make reservations, visit www.ticnetwork.org.
Reaching New Audiences
According to the National Federation of the Blind, 136,500 people of all ages in Massachusetts reported to have a visual disability in 2013. Two out of three aging Americans confront vision loss. Others who experience vision problems are living with AIDS, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, stroke, paralysis and other physical ailments that make it difficult to hold a publication or turn its pages. Approximately 10,000 people turn 65 every day in the U.S. and in Massachusetts, 34 percent of people with disabilities are 65 and older.
TIC has thousands of blind/visually impaired listeners statewide, yet there is a broader audience who can benefit. There are a growing number of seniors and veterans seeking informational, entertaining broadcasts that just aren’t available elsewhere, and that’s where TIC comes in.
The Hub of the Massachusetts Reading Network
TIC is a proud member of the International Association of Audible Information Services (IAAIS), and is the hub of the Massachusetts Reading Network, broadcasting to all of Massachusetts as well as southern New Hampshire and Connecticut. TIC operates with the help of more than 600 volunteers statewide, broadcasting newspapers, magazines, books, special consumer information, medical and stock market updates, jobs, sports, supermarket specials, voting guides, community newspapers, and television programs. TIC also offers cultural programming such as old-time radio drama, theater, and poetry. Two of TIC’s newest shows include Veterans Voice Radio and Veterans Voice Story Hour, which are specifically geared toward military veterans and their families.
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. 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. The Executive Office of Elder Affairs and the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind oversee TIC, which 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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