For nearly 40 years, Chicagoland Reading and Information Service (CRIS) Radio has provided individuals who are blind, visually impaired or have other reading disabilities with important information and entertainment broadcasts. CRIS Radio is the largest and oldest radio reading service in Illinois, and has been housed at The Chicago Lighthouse since 2003. The station covers a variety of topics, including daily readings of newspapers and other entertainment broadcasts. Some of the newspapers include The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun-Times, among others. Programming includes The Beacon, FAACT, On the Air, The No Look Pass and various audio described movies. CRIS broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Recently, many readers have asked how they can access CRIS Radio. Long-time listeners are familiar with the special receivers through which CRIS can be heard. While we are no longer distributing the receivers, listeners can still tune in to CRIS with this equipment. These are the other (and newer) ways individuals can listen to CRIS:

• On your computer or mobile device: CRIS Radio is available on our website. There you can either listen to the livestream, or to podcasts of previous shows. CRIS can also be heard on the TuneIn app, available for both iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. While in the app, simply search for CRIS Chicago and start listening. Make sure to add us to your favorites! Users of the Victor Reader Stream device can also find CRIS on ooTunes. This app is also available for iOS devices.

• By telephone: listeners who may not have access to the Internet can dial 712-832-2724 from anywhere in the United States. Please note that calls use mobile minutes, and long-distance rates may apply.

• Listen to The Beacon on radio: recorded at CRIS, The Beacon is the nation’s only show for individuals with disabilities, senior citizens and Veterans. The weekly broadcast covers various topics of interest to these communities, including health and entertainment. Those of you in the Chicagoland area can catch The Beacon on WCPT 820-AM Sunday mornings at 7 am. You can also listen to the show’s podcasts on our website.

We would also love to get your feedback! In order to better serve our audience, CRIS is currently working on developing new programming. We invite you to please take this survey and tell us more about what you’d like to hear on CRIS Radio. You can also visit our Facebook page and stay connected and updated on the latest developments at CRIS Radio. Thank you for listening, and stay tuned!

Sandy Murillo works at The Chicago Lighthouse, an organization serving the blind and visually impaired. She is the author of Sandy’s View, a bi-weekly Lighthouse blog about blindness and low vision. The blog covers topics of interest to those living with blindness and vision impairments. Being a blind journalist and blogger herself, Sandy shares her unique perspective about ways to live and cope with vision loss.