[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 40 (Tuesday, April 8, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E580]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          RADIO VISION'S 17TH ANNUAL VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 8, 1997

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, on April 12, 1997, Radio Vision, a service 
organization in the 20th District of New York will be celebrating it's 
17th annual Volunteer Recognition Day.
  Radio Vision is a closed-circuit radio broadcasting service that 
provides news and information for the blind and sight impaired 
throughout five counties in the Hudson Valley region of New York. Radio 
Vision, which is staffed completely by volunteers, gives the 
opportunity for hundreds of sight-impaired persons to learn more of 
what is occurring around them.
  A sight impaired person's access to the media is limited to listening 
to radio and television broadcasts that only briefly outline national 
and international news. For a person that has difficulty holding or 
reading a newspaper, local news and happenings--such as which stores 
have sales, where new facilities have opened in the vicinity, and what 
our neighbors are accomplishing--is difficult to obtain.
  Radio Vision provides a free-closed-circuit radio to people who 
require help in getting news. The 105 dedicated volunteers read local 
news, topical literature, shopping hints and other vital information to 
more than 400 blind, sight impaired or otherwise disabled Hudson Valley 
residents who subscribe to the Radio Vision service.
  Their voluntary hard work has enriched the lives of many of our 
constituents, and I am proud to note their good works to my colleagues.

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