CRIS: Two Decades of Informing, Engaging, and Entertaining

In 2005, The Chicago Lighthouse took over operations of Chicagoland Reading Information Service (CRIS) Radio, a state-funded service that provides news and information for people who are blind, visually impaired or have difficulty reading printed material. CRIS provides round-the-clock news and information through news articles, features and other content from local and national newspapers including The Chicago Tribune, the Sun-Times, The New York Times and others, read aloud and recorded by a group of dedicated volunteers.

Here are some things you might not have known about CRIS Radio: 

• In 2005, when The Chicago Lighthouse assumed operations of CRIS Radio, average listenership was 40,635. Though the majority of those listeners are from the Chicago area, CRIS has been known to attract listeners from as far away as China, France, Ukraine and Colombia.

• In 2009, The Chicago Lighthouse produced a weekly radio show “The Beacon,” which aired every Saturday on WCPT (820 AM) Radio in Chicago. Hosted by legendary Chicago broadcaster (who was also blind) Bill Jurek, “The Beacon” was one of the few public affairs programs in the country covering disability-related issues. The show ran for eight years.

• In 2018, The Lighthouse launched a podcast, “It’s Highly Recommended.” Hosted by staff members Sandy Murillo and Brett Shishkoff, the podcast covered trends in the technology and the arts, as well as TV, movie, and book reviews.
• In 2019, The Chicago Lighthouse renovated the CRIS radio studios to make them fully accessible to producers who are completely blind. As a result, the station became one of the few – if not the only – fully accessible production studios in the country for people who are blind or visually impaired. 
• In 2021, The Chicago Lighthouse launched a partnership with WBBM Newsradio to produce “The Disability Minute,” a weekly segment entirely written, produced and hosted by people with disabilities. This now reaches an audience of thousands through the WBBM Network.

Click HERE to listen to archived recordings of The Disability Minute on our YouTube Channel!