|
|
Reading aloud can be a pleasant experience. It can also bring a world of printed material to those who are visually impaired or otherwise unable to read print. The Communication Center of State Services for the Blind depends on the dedication of its many volunteers to help with its Dial-In News Service, tape transcription service, and Radio Talking Book, its 24-hour broadcast network.
Do I Have the Time?
A minimum three hour commitment once every week throughout the year, barring vacation or illness is required. You can record either at the Communication Center's own studios in St. Paul's Midway area, or at home as long as you have a quiet place for recording. We'll provide equipment and assignments.
What Will I Read?
Volunteers are assigned to Radio Talking Book
or the Tape Transcription Service
depending on our needs and your preferences and schedule.
Do I Have the Ability?
You will need to be able to read aloud without previous preparation and with a high degree of accuracy and clarity. The Center administers an extensive oral reading audition to determine whether you have the necessary reading characteristics. Readers are evaluated based on the following criteria:
-
Your diction must be clear, distinct, and readily understandable.
-
Your reading should be free of disturbances such as coughs and frequent hesitations.
-
Your reading should be appropriate to the material being presented. It should be sympathetic, not exaggerated; restrained, or stilted. You should be attentive to the sense of the material and skillful in securing proper emphasis. Your reading should demonstrate an awareness of the manner in which words fit together for good, verbal expression in reading aloud, especially with regard to meaning.
-
Your reading should communicate
accurately
the thoughts and ideas set forth in the printed matter.
-
Your reading should demonstrate a command of fluency and ease with the spoken language.
-
Your reading should bring the material to life. It should make the listener want to hear more. The reader should have a sense of timing and an ability to express shades of emphasis.
-
Your reading should have a quality which draws the listener to your voice. Your presentation should be one which contains firmness and self-confidence, without an assertive or patronizing delivery. Your reading should quietly take hold of and dominate the listener.
-
Your reading should contain a pace which is appropriate to the material being read.
-
Your reading should avoid being patterned or monotonous.
-
Technical reproduction will be evaluated if you are not being tested at the Communication Center studios. Suggestions on improvement will be given for better recordings if you qualify.
-
Your ability to follow exact instructions on taking the test will also be evaluated.
Volunteer readers should be able to pronounce words such as these with at least 90% accuracy:
-
Exigency
-
Gubernatorial
-
Nuclear
-
Profligate
-
Gouge
-
Obsequious
-
Hallucinatory
-
Detonate
-
Shibboleth
-
Assignation
-
Realtor
-
Bacchanalian
-
Manipulable
-
Choriocarcinoma
-
Proletariat
-
Societal panacea
-
Choreography
-
Quiescence
-
Ecumenicity
-
Vicissitudes
How to Apply
If you are interested in becoming a reader, test yourself by pronouncing aloud the twenty words above. If you can pronounce at least eighteen correctly and with confidence, fill in the form below for a full application. If you are interested in other volunteer activities, please call our offices at (651) 642-0500 (Twin Cities Metro) or toll-free (800) 652-9000.
For more information and an application to become a volunteer reader, please fill out the form below and click "Submit".
|
