Monday, February 13, 2012

Helping someone fulfill a dream.

I spent a good part of the afternoon yesterday at one of our local university radio stations. CKCU in Ottawa. We have recently come to know a young woman who has wanted to be on the radio since she was 13 years old. She never gave up wanting this although some would say it is not an easy dream for her to have. The reasons for this are that she is almost totally blind, uses a power wheelchair as she is not able to walk or use her arms too much. She has use of a couple of fingers only. Her speech can be quiet as well. She is smart and funny and full of life and she has a wonderful supportive family who do not baby her as they help her to succeed. This was our second trip to the station. A friend who also has limited vision is along for the ride with us. We practice in the studio. Learning to use the equipment, how to interview each other, record ourselves, play music on air, and much more. The volunteer coordinator Chris White is amazing at helping us make all things accessible. He put screen reading software on the studio computer. He explains things so well and helps us think things through. The future radio star came with songs to play and an intro about herself. She remembered where the buttons were to push the microphones and seemed in her element. We all loved it. Thanks to you all for letting me travel this journey with you.

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