Empowering Our Youth at Garrs

>>Tiffanie: so here we are at GaRRS >>Teresa: Hello! >>Tiffanie: Saturday, The youth group. We’re getting ready to do our PSAs, here’s Deontae >>Deontae: Hello, how you doing [laughter] it’s so great to be here today being here for EOY Empowering Our Youth >>Tiffanie: There’s Jamal pigging out >>Jamal: [unclear] >>Jae: Our services, which we provide quality of life broadcasts you know broadcasts to improve people’s quality of life. A great opportunity for volunteerism for everybody we do provide information and referrals so if a listener calls up they need phone number we’ll track it down for them and then we also serve as a resource for expertise and an advocate in the community so you’ll see us out there with disability day and some other places too and we are in partnership with GA Tech and the Shepherd Spinal Center >>Jesse: Are some of your broadcasters blind or visually impaired? >>Jae: yes they are, great question. We have a staff member Hilde Jones um who’s blind and we have a young lady, Jasmine, who interned with us from the Center for the Visually Impaired and now she’s back with us here and then I have a student from Barry College who did an internship, uh, she’s severely visually impaired and, you know, everybody’s on the air and we’re all have the same responsibilities, you know, go out and do reporting, yeah. >>How do you get the service? >>Ryan: No, I'm saying' do you have to be blind in order go get- >>Jae: No, I’m sorry, no, no you do not you do not need to just be blind or visually impaired we serve all kinds of people. Basically anyone who wants the service or anyone who, because of a disability is unable to read. That’s kind of the better description for our audience. We serve seniors you know veterans people with blindness and visual impairment all kinds all ages all kinds and so if you guys know or if you want the service, you know somebody who needs or wants the service let me know and we’ll connect them. Quest- very good question Ryan. >>Jae: These radios that we passed around um depending on where you live in the state we have to order that kind of radio that picks up that radio tower. So, Savannah is um WSVH which is 91.1 so if we get somebody in Savannah that calls us and wants to listen in through the radio we have to order a 91.1 radio subchannel, does that make sense? So, is the way I’d describe it is: this is the radio tower, right? GPB owns it so they get the top of the pschew! Nice solid, clear, beautiful signal. We get the rung under it, a little shaky [laughter] But you can hear us [chatter in the background] there’s just a little static and in the Atlanta area we broadcast off WABE’s tower, so. >>Jae: Uh, the concept of Universal Design is that the most people can use it most of the time. So, like, I’ll give you for instance, um, a sidewalk that’s very wide can be used by someone in a wheelchair, by someone pushing a stroller can be used by a whole family walking down the street and talking to each other, that’s universal design, maybe building a homes where countertops have the space underneath so people in a wheelchair or a child can get up there and stay next to their parent while they’re learning how to cook um, just so that things are just designed whatever they are whether they’re physical, conceptual, you know, tangible or not the most people are able to understand it and use it as often as possible. Whether they speak the language, short or tall no matter their circumstance, you know, the most people can figure it out most of the time, that’s universal design. And I’m personally as well as professionally a huge proponent of universal design, I threw that in there . . . >>Tiffanie: And there is Jesse doing his reading [talking in the background] >>Deontae: Hi, my name is Deontae Bowden, president of Empowering Our Youth, an advocacy organization associated with disABILITY LINK. We educate, advocate and sometimes even socialize. Sharing positive information about people with disabilities and without disabilities. You have to be between the ages of 17 and 30 years old to join. We need on the third Saturday of each month from 2pm to 4pm at disABILITY LINK, 755 Commerce Drive in Decatur. For more information check out our website at www.disabilitylink.org or call me, Deontae Bowden at 404-438-6600. Thanks.