Background Information

Accessible Media Inc.-AMI (formerly NBRS): The organization that operates VoicePrint and The Accessible Channel-TACtv

Our Vision
To reduce barriers to media faced by vision-and print-restricted Canadians.

Our Mission
To partner with others to provide services and products that assist print-restricted Canadians reduce or overcome barriers to media and print information.

Overview
Accessible Media Inc.-AMI (formerly NBRS), a non-profit Canadian success story, was established in 1989 on the recommendation of Parliament's Standing Committee of the Status of Disabled Persons. The committee's report, "No News is Bad News," stated that vision- and print-restricted Canadians must have equal access to published news and information. The enterprise was set up to "reduce media barriers faced by vision- and print- restricted Canadians and others."

What kind of media?  The media of everyday life: newspapers, magazines, TV, movies, the Internet and much more - the sources of news, information and entertainment that all citizens in a democracy must have in order to make informed decisions and to enhance their quality of life.

Included in this surprisingly large but often underserved demographic of more than 5 million Canadians are people with low or no sight, those living with a physical or learning disability, or those with a desire to improve their literacy skills or learn English as a second language.  A significant percentage of Canada's vision- and print-restricted population falls into this demographic due to diabetes, macular degeneration, stroke or other impairments associated with aging.

They are confronted by an often overlooked barrier to their personal independence: a communication barrier.

Specifically,

• Barriers that prevent them from enjoying and independently accessing current news and information from such sources as newspapers, magazines and government websites.
  OR
• Barriers that prevent blind and low-vision people from accessing on-screen information and enjoying entertainment such as movies, TV programs and documentaries.

AMI is to make Canada a more accessible home for all of its citizens, and we attempt to do our part through the creation and operation of accessible media services, including two that truly are global leaders:

1. VOICEPRINT, established in 1990.
One of VoicePrint’s listeners says the service is “a light in a dark world.” One recent Senate report on the media stated recently that: “News matters. No real democracy can operate without informing people about the way their society works, what is going well and, perhaps more important, what's not going well and needs to be improved." For two decades VoicePrint has been Canada's leading provider of audio versions of published current news and information. That is why in licensing our independent audio reading service the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) described its decision to be “not only in the public interest but a matter of national importance." VoicePrint is, in fact, the world’s largest audio-reading service in terms of number of homes accessed. As one supporter has stated: “VoicePrint is one of those brilliant, but seamless responses Canadians so often develop to meet a societal need.”

Find out more at www.voiceprintcanada.com

2. THE ACCESSIBLE CHANNEL (TACtv), Launched in January 2009, The Accessible Channel broadcasts, 24/7, “described” and “closed-captioned” versions of popular, current TV shows and favorite movies to a broad audience. As one supporter has said: “With The Accessible Channel people will know that just because they're blind or vision-restricted, they're not excluded from independent access to programming that everyone else has access to.” No wonder that we describe TACtv as Television That Includes Everyone.

Find out more at www.tactv.ca

AMI (formerly NBRS) would like to thank all who support us so we can better serve our audience.

Charitable registration number: 128778552R0001

• 1-800-567-6755
• Charitable Registration # 128778552R0001