Radio Service for the Blind In Danger of Shutting Down

A New York based radio service for the visually impaired that helps keep them up to date on current affairs says it’s funding will soon run out.

The Gatewave Radio service, which broadcasts readings from newspapers and magazines, lost its financing and studio at the Jewish Guild for the Blind two years ago. Since then, it's been staying afloat with donations, volunteers and fees paid by affiliates who also subscribe to their radio feed.

Broadcast engineer Richard Koziol, who helps run Gatewave, said locally about 3,500 people, who became visually impaired later in life, rely on the service.

"It’s very difficult for that type of person to learn Braille, so they really do get disconnected. So what we hear from the people who use our service is that it becomes their way of relating to the rest of the world."

Koziol said they’ve been making due by trying to cut costs including doing the bulk of recordings from volunteers’ homes and only renting studio space for the bare minimum of about eight hours a week.

Abe Leisner, a 91-year old Upper West Side resident, said before he became legally blind a couple of years ago he was a voracious reader. He now uses Gatewave to stay up to date on economic and political news.

"'What I can get on television is not up to that level.  I like it because I can find out things I can't find out any other way."

Volunteers at Gatewave say there's enough funding to make it through the end of the year.

They say to continue to operating the decades old service they will need to raise at least $200,000.

Philanthropist George Soros made the last sizeable donation of $250,000 at the end of 2009.