IRIS volunteers provide a helping voice

7/3/2024

According to the Iowa Department for the Blind, about 54,000 Iowans have experienced visual impairment. One organization, Iowa Reading Radio Information Services (IRIS), aims to aid those with the disability through, of course, reading. 

With braille being a difficult skill to learn, and books, newspapers and magazines not being printed with the alternative reading option, a large group of those who are visually impaired turn to audio. 

That’s where IRIS comes into play. IRIS provides a 24/7, 365-day broadcast of audio programming across several mediums. They provide old-timey radios for free upon request that act as receivers and only play their station. The live stream on their website at www.iowaradioreading.org is easily accessible, and their broadcasts are in a podcast format on the major platforms. They have a robust schedule where they read several Iowa-based publications such as CITYVIEW, The Des Moines Register, the Quad City Times, the Business Record and more.  

Deanna Snyder and Dennis May are two of the volunteers who read for IRIS. Schneider began volunteering for IRIS in 2013, while May started in 2014.

“Everybody’s favorite blind lady was Mavis McVeety. She was a dear sweet lady, and she was at First United Methodist Church downtown where I was on staff,” Schneider said. “She was in a book study group, and so I would read her the book chapters on a cassette tape recorder that we were going to discuss that week and give her the tape recording so she could come and join in with everybody else.”

McVeety then informed Schneider about IRIS and how she should volunteer there. Schneider said she never heard of it but happily began volunteering there soon after. As for how May got his start?

“I worked for Allied Insurance, which was at 701 Fifth Ave., with the Commission for the Blind a block south. We would always see people out walking, learning how to navigate streets with an instructor. I thought about how that was inspiring. I had also heard that they had something where they read to sight-impaired people. Then I found out about this (IRIS), so I came down and auditioned,” May said.

May’s background in video production and work in audio booths at Allied Insurance made it an easy transition for him to start working with the production equipment inside of IRIS’ studios. 

​​“We go back and forth and trade reading stories. Having somebody like Dennis who sits in the control room is nice. I sit in the room where all I have to do is just talk because I know nothing about the buttons,” Schneider said. 

Schneider and May primarily read The Des Moines Register, sharing everything from local to international news for listeners. They say the obituaries are especially important. 

“I hear from listeners who just absolutely love IRIS, and they tune in all the time with that, and it’s their connection with the world,” Schneider said. “I think a lot of times they’re just stuck in their own home, and this is a chance for them to hear things. We are well loved in the sight-impaired community.” 

May would like to bring more ears and awareness to IRIS.

“I think it’s interesting since I started doing this, how many people I’ve met who are either sight-impaired or have someone who is sight impaired in their family and they know nothing about this,” May said. 

The pandemic was a critical time for IRIS. Understanding that their listeners already had difficulty getting to the outside world due to their visual impairments, it became important they continue to provide the service during this struggle.

“During the COVID close, Maryfrances (Evans, executive director at IRIS) told us we had to close the studio. So we recorded from home, and that made it easier in some respects. I ended up doing four mornings a week at 4:30 a.m. because we had to have it uploaded by 8 a.m. so they could have it ready for 9 a.m.,” May said.

May’s background knowledge in video and audio production allowed him to edit his segments, which made it easier on the production team at IRIS. 

The volunteering crew ranges in age at IRIS. During the interview, a recent Drake University graduate was live on the air, but Schneider and May mentioned that most of the volunteers lean to the older side.

Schneider and May both encouraged anyone who has the free time and 

proper reading skills to volunteer their time to IRIS. Learn more at 

www.iowaradioreading.org.