NFB-Newsline®
Using synthesized speech, the National Federation of the Blind NEWSLINE® now provides dozens of participating newspapers such as USA Today, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the Wall Street Journal over the telephone. Dozens of local papers are also available each day to subscribers, including the St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Duluth News Tribune. In addition to carrying the news, local NFB-NEWSLINE® sites use one or more special channels to distribute announcements of specific interest to the blind. CENTRALIZED SERVICE! TOLL FREE: 1-888-882-1629 As of March 1, 2002, National Federation of the Blind NEWSLINE® reached another milestone. The service now handles thousands of phone calls through a centralized service each day for individuals across the country who can now access the daily newspapers as never before. The toll-free centralized call-in center provides service without delay to any subscriber. This also enables those who cannot read conventional print to have access to newspapers on NFB-NEWSLINE® when traveling throughout the United States. The toll-free number is 1-888-882-1629. The upgrades will also allow for additional options such as newspapers in other languages to be placed on the system. Service provides today’s, yesterday’s, and the previous Sunday’s issue. The NFB-NEWSLINE® user can easily choose which newspaper, section, and article to read with the use of a standard touch-tone phone. Each day, with his or her morning coffee, the user can choose that day’s, the previous day’s, and the previous Sunday’s issue of each newspaper on the service. The menu provided allows the user to change the speed and voice quality, spell out, or search for words. For a complete list of commands, click here. Synthetic Speech Used for Menu and Choices The user can easily select newspaper, section, and article of interest. The National Federation of the Blind has designed this revolutionary, totally electronic system to receive digital transmissions from newspapers on the day of publication, reformat the data for conversion to synthetic speech, and upload to the National Federation of the Blind NEWSLINE®. By just dialing a toll-free number, dozens of newspapers are now available over any touch-tone telephone using synthetic speech. Blind and visually impaired individuals become eligible for this free service by filling out a simple application. You can get this application on-line by clicking here, or by contacting the Communication Center at 1-800-652-9000 or 651-642-0885. After we receive your completed application, you will be sent your identification number from the National Federation of the Blind headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, or directly from the Communication Center. Who can benefit from NFB-NEWSLINE®? Anyone who cannot read conventional newsprint could qualify for this free service. Many seniors have lost enough vision that reading the daily newspaper is no longer possible. You will enjoy being able once again to participate actively in community affairs. Blind children are now able to research their own civics assignments and do their homework independently. National Federation of the Blind NEWSLINE® is the only service that makes so many national newspapers and information available to blind people 24 hours a day, seven days a week on a nationwide basis. When on vacation, or on a business trip, readers can access National Federation of the Blind NEWSLINE® with the toll-free phone number from any touch-tone phone and entering their personal ID and security codes. National Federation of the Blind NEWSLINE® is easy and convenient! How to use NFB-NEWSLINE® With only a touch-tone telephone, anyone can access the National Federation of the Blind NEWSLINE® system. The reader needs no computer and no special training. After entering an ID number and security code, the system prompts new callers to make their selections. Readers press 1 for Newspapers, 2 for the Local Information Channel (if available,) or 3 for NFB-NEWSLINE® News. When choosing the Newspaper option, readers can choose from today’s paper, yesterday’s paper, and the Sunday paper (if one is published). Once in the paper, readers choose the section of the newspaper they wish to read: sports, news, business section, and more. Pressing a single key on the telephone keypad will quickly move readers from one article to the next, skip ahead in the article, return to a previous article, change the speaking speed, change the reading voice, or spell out words. The keystrokes are few and easy to remember. But if the readers forget, NFB-NEWSLINE® reminds callers each time they call in to check the help page to review it. Pressing 2 will access the Local Information Channel. This channel will have important information about other services and items of interest to blind individuals in their state or local community. Information about blindness is not always easy for the newly blinded person to find, let alone use to advantage. This may be one of the more important components of the NFB-NEWSLINE® system for some readers. National Federation of the Blind NEWSLINE® News lists the telephone numbers for each state. Other items of national interest may also appear on this channel. NOW THE BLIND HAVE ACCESS TO NEWSPAPER INFORMATION Lifetime learning, including detailed awareness of current events, is part of what makes a good citizen, a successful employee or employer, and a valuable participant in community life. Without ready access to information, none of us can reach his or her full potential. Until 1995, the nation’s blind did not have the promise of ready access to a fundamental source of such information-the daily newspaper. But now the National Federation of the Blind has created National Federation of the Blind NEWSLINE® which is one of the ways that the Communication Center of Minnesota State Services for the Blind provides blind and visually impaired Minnesotans with access to the printed word. National Federation of the Blind NEWSLINE® is offering yet another alternative in making it possible for blind individuals to gain access to the information in newspapers at the same time as their sighted colleagues, friends, and family members. Blind professionals, for example, can now converse on relevant topics, no longer being underinformed about information critical to their professions or left out at social functions when the latest editorial is discussed. Beyond this, a wealth of other information primarily found in newspapers is now also available to the blind on an equal footing, making possible their participation in the life of the community on the basis of equality. The internet provides sighted individuals access to thousands of newspapers and magazines with just a quick search. National Federation of the Blind NEWSLINE® is one of a few systems that will bring the blind so much to choose from, at the time when the subscriber wishes to read. More and more papers are beginning to understand that blind and visually disabled individuals, just as the sighted, need to have access to their local papers. The numbers of participating papers are steadily growing. If you wish to have your local paper on National Federation of the Blind NEWSLINE®, or are connected with a newspaper which would like to provide its text of your paper to those who can not read the print, contact the National Federation of the Blind at nfb@nfb.org. Now available throughout the country, 24 hours a day, seven days a week: Dozens of newspapers! Just call: 1-888-882-1629 Newsline ApplicationNFB-NEWSLINE® APPLICATION/REGISTRATION FORM 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230 NAME: Last ____________________ First ________________ MI _______ ADDRESS: ____________________________________________________ CITY: _________________ STATE: ____________ ZIP: _____________ HOME PHONE () _______________ WORK PHONE ()______________ I am registered with a state or private vocational rehabilitation agency for the blind. [ ] Yes [ ] No If yes, please give name: _____________________________ _______________________________________________________________ I am enrolled in a public school special education program for the blind or state residential school for the blind. [ ] Yes [ ] No If yes, please specify: _______________________________ _______________________________________________________________ I am registered with a cooperating regional library under the program of The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress. [ ] Yes [ ] No If yes, please specify: _______________________________ _______________________________________________________________ If you answered no to all the above questions, you must include with this application a letter from one of the following certifying that you are blind. [ ] Your doctor [ ] Social Security Award letter [ ] President of a local chapter or state affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind I certify that I am blind or visually impaired and unable to read a printed newspaper. SIGNATURE: __________________________________ DATE: ___________ OFFICE USE ONLY: ______________________________________________ ID# ___________ SEC# ______________ DATE NUMBERS GIVEN_______ PLEASE print and RETURN THE COMPLETED FORM TO THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS:
Communication Center
From any touch-tone telephone, call the NFB-NEWSLINE® at 1-888-882-1629. Using the telephone keypad, punch in your ID code and the security number that you were given when you signed up for NFB-NEWSLINE®. The Security Code is usually the last four digits of your telephone number.
To begin reading, Press:
After selecting a category, you can choose from newspapers or topics. The NFB-NEWSLINE® service holds today's newspaper, yesterday's newspaper, and the most recent Sunday edition if one is published. After selecting the paper you wish to read, the system will prompt you to select the topic you wish to read (for example, Sports, Editorial, News, etc.) NFB-NEWSLINE® Keypad Commands:
Your Favorites: To personalize your reading choices, you may want to take advantage of the Favorites option. You may save up to six newspapers in this menu. Press 4 to enter Your Favorites.
When you first enter Your Favorites, you have 3 choices:
To begin the process of adding newspapers to Your Favorites, press 7. A list of newspapers will be presented in alphabetical order in groups of eight. Follow the instructions to select the paper you wish to add. Press 9 during the list of newspapers to advance to the next group of eight papers. HOW TO USE THE NFB-NEWSLINE® SEARCH FEATURE Search Mode To enter the Search feature, you must be in an article. Press the pound key (#) twice, then follow the instructions. Search Mode will search the entire newspaper you are in to find your key word or phrase.
Keep in mind that your key word or phrase may appear in one article more than once.
NFB-NEWSLINE
®
may tell you there were 10 matches for your search, but all ten could be in the same article.
Search Feature Charts
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please use our Information Request form. |
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