Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor, a Pioneer in Overcoming Barriers, Agrees to Become an Honourary Patron of The National Broadcast Reading Service Inc., A Champion in “Breaking Barriers to Media”
 

Toronto, ON (October 1, 2008) - The National Broadcast Reading Service Inc. (NBRS), a remarkable media boutique charity with a mission to Make Media Accessible, is proud to announce today that Nova Scotia's Lieutenant Governor, Her Honourable Mayann E. Francis, will become an Honourary Patron of VoicePrint; an internationally recognized, award-winning division of NBRS.

In agreeing to serve, Her Honour states: "I am most appreciative of your invitation to act as Honourary Patron of the Nova Scotia division of VoicePrint. The aims of the organization are certainly compatible with my own goals for the well being of Nova Scotians who are blind or vision impaired. I will be pleased to lend the support of my office to your efforts."

Sherry Costa, Atlantic Regional Manager for VoicePrint, reacted enthusiastically to the announcement: "Our entire organization is very excited to have Lieutenant Governor Francis as an Honourary Patron. I note that on Her Honour's official website she states, ‘Barriers are meant to be climbed over, they help make us stronger as individuals and as an inclusive community'."

"At NBRS we couldn't agree more. For over 18 years we have worked hard to make media more accessible so that the more than 5 million Canadians who are vision- or print-restricted, can be strengthened and communities made more inclusive," states Bob Trimbee, President of NBRS.  "Her Honour's support is a gratifying acknowledgement of the value of our efforts, and a great support as we move forward on new initiatives, such as the coming launch of The Accessible Channel."

The Honourable Mayann E. Francis is the first African Nova Scotian, and only the second woman to hold the position in the province's more than 400-year history. She became Nova Scotia's Lieutenant Governor in September of 2006.

Chair of the NBRS Board of Directors, John Capobianco states, "We are very honoured to have the Honourable Mayann E. Francis as our honorary patron and would like to welcome Her Honour to NBRS and VoicePrint, Nova Scotia.  As former Director and CEO of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission and Ombudsman for the province, Her Honour has chosen to focus on youth, education, seniors and community with the goal of increasing equity and inclusion. Her Honour believes Nova Scotia, like the British Commonwealth, is one big community that reflects the input and activities of a variety of people and backgrounds. As Lieutenant Governor she will ensure that the richness of those differing perspectives is represented and put to active and good use.  I am confident that her expertise, motivation and dedication will help further our mission and vision of breaking down the information barrier for vision-or printed restricted Canadians-an underserved demographic."

Her Honour is the second provincial Lieutenant Governor who has agreed to serve as an Honourary Patron at NBRS. Earlier this year, His Honour, the Honourable David Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, a celebrated champion of disability issues who contracted polio as a youth, accepted our invitation by stating: "I'm delighted to be able to lend my support to such an effective and worthy organization."

Georgina Blanas, NBRS Director, Marketing & Fund Development states, "NBRS is a remarkable registered charity. It enriches the lives of many Canadians living with a disability by producing and distributing accessible audio versions of published news, information and entertainment. In addition to working in partnership with others, NBRS does this through VoicePrint, AudioVision Canada and, soon, The Accessible Channel (TAC), an English-language specialty digital TV service whose full broadcast schedule will be distributed in an open description format. TAC will premiere later this fall. More information about NBRS can be found at www.nbrscanada.com."

Because of VoicePrint, audio versions of newspapers and magazines stories can be "heard" by people who can't independently access print due to, for example, blindness or physical impairment, low literacy skills or just getting older. VoicePrint can be accessed on the Secondary Audio Program of CBC Newsworld; on Star Choice (ch 825), ExpressVu (ch 49 & 967), Look TV (ch 400); Rogers Digital (ch 196), Eastlink Digital (ch 394), Aliant Digital (ch 998); and at www.voiceprintcanada.com.

Because of AudioVision, people who have low or no vision now can "see the on-screen action" of movies and TV programs through the description process. Many have said description does for blind and low-vision viewers what closed-captioning does for people with hearing impairments: it makes entertainment more accessible. Established in 1995, AudioVision is a pioneer in providing professional quality description services. Its website: www.audiovisioncanada.com.

The Accessible Channel - scheduled to launch this fall -- will allow vision- and hearing-restricted Canadians to tune into a new digital TV service that will feature "described" and "closed-captioned" versions of popular, current TV shows and favorite movies.

For more information:

Lauren Kerhoulas

Public Relations Coordinator

1-800-567-6755 ext. 225, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Sherry Costa

Atlantic Regional Manager