[CapChapOhio] Voicecorps Article

[Eric Duffy]

VOICEcorps is a lifeline for central Ohio listeners
The Columbus Dispatch

August 9, 2026

Every Wednesday morning, before most people have taken their first sip of coffee, Michael and Marlys Bradshaw roll out of bed and make their way to the Columbus-based VOICEcorps broadcasting studio. The couple sits down together to read the news at 7 a.m. – along with an audience of local listeners tuned in and ready for the next hourlong installment of “Business News Live.” <https://voicecorps.org/programming/schedule/>
The Bradshaws regularly volunteer their time and voices to VOICEcorps, a free local broadcast reading service that has been on the air since Nov. 17, 1975 <https://voicecorps.org/about/>. That day, volunteers read the latest edition of The Columbus Dispatch aloud over the airwaves to residents with low vision, blindness or print disabilities in central Ohio for the first time.

“The idea is for listeners to be able to consume their local news just like anybody else would. That's our mission, to bring print to people who cannot access it,” said Amy Billerman, VOICEcorps’ director of volunteers. “It's information, engagement, entertainment and also a friendly voice in the room.”

To the Bradshaws, the job is much more than simply reading aloud. They’re acutely aware that some of their listeners experience overwhelming isolation in their day-to-day lives. Michael, who has been reading for VOICEcorps since 2003, said he’s gained insight into the feelings of separation and loneliness blind individuals can often experience.

“The sound of a human voice talking to them is really important,” he said. “That’s something I wouldn’t have known before I started working here.”

In the early days, listeners could only tune in to the VOICEcorps broadcast using a pre-tuned radio receiver provided by the organization. Today, the service offers 24/7 live and prerecorded news programming listeners can access via internet, digital television or even Amazon Alexa in addition to their radios.

The service has expanded to include local and national newspapers, magazines, grocery ads and even books and comics. And it’s earned recognition from the International Association of Audio Information Services for two of its programs: “The Business News Hour” read by the Bradshaws won 2025 Program of the Year <https://www.iaais.org/conference-2025> in the newspaper category, and “Columbus Business First” read by John Proffitt tied for the same category in 2026 <https://www.iaais.org/awards>.  

Proffitt’s reason for reading is personal. After experiencing a retinal detachment in 2000, he lost partial vision in one eye. “I’ve always been nearsighted, and I’ve got the risk of having another retinal detachment sometime in my life,” he said. “So, I was like, 'You know what, maybe one day I will be blind. Maybe I should pay it forward into this community before I join it.'”

VOICEcorps relies on funding from public and private donations and partnerships. “The City of Columbus has been one of our mainstays,” Dana Sims, VOICEcorps’ marketing and development director, said.

“We’re over 50 years old, and they have been really one of our biggest partners for this entire 50 years. At this point, about a quarter of our budget.”

Within the past year, however, Sims said that VOICEcorps has seen a significant decline in that funding, forcing the organization to dip into its reserves to cover expenses. Her current focus is ensuring the nonprofit can continue operation for the listeners who rely so heavily on its programming.

“It’s hard for me not to get emotional. There are so many people that need us,” Sims said. “We have some people in assisted living whose families don't really visit regularly, and VOICEcorps is really one of their only ways to hear regular voices that they're able to connect with.”

There are several ways to support VOICEcorps. In addition to readers, the organization needs volunteers <https://voicecorps.org/get-involved/volunteer/> to assist with technological and administrative support, landscaping, fundraising and simply spreading the word in the community. An estimated 120,000 or more residents <https://voicecorps.org/about/> have a need for VOICEcorps programming, but not all of them are aware the service is available.

For more information and ways to show support, or to make a donation <https://voicecorps-bloom.kindful.com/>, visit voicecorps.org <https://voicecorps.org/>.


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