IRIS and IPR
The stations of Iowa Public Radio have a long history of cooperation with the Iowa Radio Reading Information Service, known as IRIS, in providing daily news and information to the blind and print-handicapped citizens of Iowa. Each weekday morning, volunteers arrive at our facilities to assemble and read the day's news for the thousands of Iowans who use a special receiver, provided by IRIS, to gain access to national and Iowa news as well as a great many other special programming elements such as audio books.
Iowa's first and only radio reading service for the blind
and print handicapped originated at the Iowa Commission
for the Blind in 1972. Since then, private donations, foundation
grants and some government funding have allowed the Service
to continue and to expand. Volunteers now open their IRIS
microphones at locations across the state from Sioux City and
Council Bluffs to Cedar Falls and Iowa City. IPR signals deliver
the reading service in Fort Dodge, Iowa City, Cedar Falls,
Mason City, Ames, Carroll and Lamoni. In addition, computer
users can hear IRIS anywhere in the world via streaming
audio on the IRIS web site.
The IRIS programming schedule runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Getting the daily news from Iowa newspapers is as easy as turning on the radio for the 50,000 plus Iowans who cannot read due to impaired vision or physical handicap. More than 300 volunteers around Iowa donate countless hours to help inform their fellow citizens. Iowa Public Radio is thrilled to be able to assist this worthy program and to house many of the community volunteers who keep IRIS operating around the clock.
For more information on the Iowa Radio Reading Information Service, go to the IRIS website.
IRIS Coverage Map
A - WOI- FM* B - KTPR - FM* C - KSUI - FM* D - KHKE - FM* E - KCMR - FM F - KWIT - FM |
G - KWOI - FM* H - KIWR - FM I - KOWI - FM* J - IPTV (Channel 11) K - IPTV (Channel 12) L - K269EK (Dubuque) |
* Iowa Public Radio Stations