Metropolitan Washington Ear: Services

Dial-In Newspaper & Magazine Service

This service enables visually and physically disabled individuals to "read" (hear) the morning paper, yesterday's paper and selected other publications - any time of day or night, seven days a week. Using their own touch-tone telephones, they can access all of the available publications, whenever they choose to do so. Audio dial-in instructions.

Each day, starting early in the morning, volunteers read the Washington Post and USA Today into a computer: news and editorial pages, sports, the larger ads, special sections and the weekly supplements including TV listings. Pictures, charts, graphs and cartoons are fully described.

Other publications include:

Time
Washingtonian
People magazine
USA Today
Yesterday's USA Today
ACB Reports
Disability News Scan
Heloise A-Z
Practical Tips For Everyday Living
Wall Street Journal
New York Times
Washington Times
African American Magazines and Newspapers
Public Service Announcements
Audio Described TV, Theaters and Movies

How does dial-in actually work?

With their touch-tone telephones, callers can:

Choose dozens of categories.
Go from article to article.
Skip and scan.
Jump forward and backward.
Browse much as sighted people do.
Control the speed of volunteer readers' recorded voices.
Control the volume of the recorded voices.

Callers can use convenient speakerphones and call waiting. Individual ID numbers allow access only to eligible callers. There is free telephone access throughout Maryland, DC and Virginia. The toll-free line is provided by the State of Maryland in Maryland and in other jurisdictions with the generous support of WETA.

Keyboard functions

Dial-in Categories

Washington Post - Publication 1

10 - Index
11 - Front Page
12 - Front Section
- 10 - National News
- 11 - World News
- 12 - Economy and Business
13 - Editorial & Op-Eds
14 - Special Columns
- 10 - Columnist Section-1
- 11 - Columnist Section-2
- 12 - Columnist Section-3
15 - Federal Page
16 - Style
- 10 - General Articles
- 11 - Radio Highlights
- 12 - Guide to Lively Arts
17 - Metro
18 - Sports
20 - Obituaries & Death Notices
21 - Weather
22 - TV Week
- 10 - General Articles
- 11 - TV Listings
23 - Advertisements:
- 10 - Food Ads
- 11 - General Ads
- 12 - Political & Advocacy Ads
24 - Once-A-Week Sections:
- 10 - Capital Business (Monday)
- 11 - Health (Tuesday)
- 12 - Food (Wednesday)
- 13 - Home (Thursday)
- 14 - On Faith (Saturday)
- 15 - Real Estate (Saturday)
- 17 - Special Section
- 18 - Outlook (Sunday)
- 19 - Sunday Business (Sunday)
- 21 - Travel (Sunday)
- 22 - Post Magazine (Sunday)
- 23 - Parade (Sunday)
25 - Weekend (Friday):
- 10 - Table of Contents, Front Cover Description, Cover Story
- 11 - What's Doing, Going Out Guide, 3 Hour Weekend, Mark Your Calendar
- 12 - Music Maker, Nightlife, Dinner Deals, New Music, Concerts, Restaurant Reviews
- 13 - On Stage and Guide to the Lively Arts
- 14 - Movies
- 15 - On Exhibit
- 16 - For Kids
- 17 - Escapes, Field Trip and On the Move
26 - Sunday Comics
27 - Local Weeklies:
- 10 - DC Extra
- 11 - Fairfax Extra
- 12 - Arlington & Alexandria Extra
- 14 - Montgomery Extra
- 15 - Prince George's Extra
- 16 - Anne Arundel Extra
30 - Verizon Community Magazine
36 - Kids Post
37 - Wall Street Journal

Time Magazine/Announcements — Publication 2

10 - Table of Contents
11 - Cover Description
12 - Cover Story
13 - General Articles
14 - Notebook
16 - Reviews
- 10 - Television
- 11 - Theater
- 12 - Books
- 13 - Music
- 14 - Cinema
- 15 - Art
17 - Publisher's Letter
18 - Letters to Editor
19 - Milestones
20 - People
21 - Essay
22 - Columnists
36 - Announcements
- 10 - New Announcements
- 11 - Meetings/Events
- 12 - Services/Equipment, Organizations.
- 13 - Catalogs, Magazines, Newsletters
- 14 - History of The Metropolitan Ear
- 15 - FCC Proposals for TV Networks (DVS)

Washingtonian Magazine — Publication 3

10 - Index
11 - Capital Comment
12 - Where & When
13 - Cover Story
14 - General Articles
- 10 - Letters
- 11 - General Articles 1
- 12 - General Articles 2
15 - 100 Best Restaurants:
- 10 - District Of Columbia
- 11 - Maryland
- 12 - Virginia
- 13 - Updates
20 - Bargain Restaurants:
- 10 - District Of Columbia
- 11 - Maryland
- 12 - Virginia
- 13 - Updates
25 - ACB Reports

People Magazine - Publication 4

10 - Cover Description
11 - Cover Story
12 - Table of Contents
13 - Up Front/Inside People
14 - Style
- (10) - Style Watch
- (11) - Scoop
- (12) - People.com
15 - Star Tracks
16 - Mailbag
17 - Reviews
- (10) - TV
- (11) - Movies
- (12) - Music
- (13) - Books
18 - Insider
19 - Passages
20 - Chatter
21 - General Articles
25 - The Arlington Citizen
26 - Montgomery County Community Support Newsletter
27 - Colombia Lighthouse for the Blind Newsletter
28 - Metropolitan Washington Ear Newsletter

USA Today - Publication 6

10 - Newsline /Index
11 - Front Page
12 - Front Section
- (10) National News
- (11) World News
- (12) Washington & Politics
13 - Editorials, Opinions, Letters
14 - Columnists & TV
- (10) Columnists
- (11) TV Section
15 - Across The Nation
- (10) States A - H
- (11) States I - P
- (12) States R - W
16 - Life
18 - Sports
19 - Money
20 - Travel Weather
- (10) Cities A - H
- (11) Cities I - P
- (12) Cities Q - Z
21 - Weather - Weather Focus and Reader Photo
25 - Weekend
- (10) Front Page
- (11) Movie Section
- (12) DVDs
- (13) Music
- (14) Stage
- (15) Travel

Publication 7

10 - Washington Times
11 - New York Times
12 - Capital Features
13 - African American Magazines
14 - African American Newspapers
15 - Richmond Times Dispatch
16 - The Baltimore Sun
17 - The Annapolis Capital

Described Theater, TV, Video And Museums - Publication 8

10 - Described Movies, Live Theatre & Opera Performances
11 - Described Broadcast Network TV
- (10) - Monday
- (11) - Tuesday
- (12) - Wednesday
- (13) - Thursday
- (14) - Friday
- (15) - Saturday
- (16) - Sunday
12 - Described Museum Exhibits
13 - Described Video, Tape and Library Information
14 - Described Video Equipment and Information

Hints From Heloise - Publication 9

10(A), 11(B), 12(C), 13(D), 14(E), 15(F), 16(G), 17(H), 18(I), 19(J), 20(K), 21(L), 22(M), 23(N), 24(O), 25(P), 26(Q), 27(R), 28(S), 29(T), 30(U), 31(V), 32(W), 33(X), 34(Y), 35(Z), 36 (Spots & Stains), 37 (Odors)

Radio Broadcast

Radio Reading Program Schedule

You can dial (301) 625-1987 for an audio version of the daily radio schedule. You can also click on Audio Program Schedule where the schedule is broken into individual days. For text version please select one of the following links.

Full Text Version of the Metropolitan Washington Ear's Radio Reading Schedule

Radio Talking Books

Text Version of Current Book Schedule

Audio Version of the Current Talking Book Schedule

If you live outside the Washington, DC metropolitan area and would like to know if there is a radio reading service in your area, go to http://iaais.org, International Association of Audio Information Services, for a complete listing.

Audio Description

Audio description for live theater and opera performances in selected theatres in the Metropolitan Washington Area and audio description soundtracks for films, videos, Imax films and museums. We also provide audio description training.

Dr. Margaret Pfanstiehl, The Washington Ears' founder and president, and her husband Cody, developed the art and technique of Audio Description in 1981. Since then they have trained many describers here and abroad in the art of "talking pictorially" to make theater, television, films, museums and exhibits accessible to people with little or no vision.

For Films, Videos, Exhibits

The Ear produces audio description to make documentaries, museums, IMAX films and indoor and outdoor exhibits accessible to people who are visually impaired. We train audio describers for these venues. The Mashantuket Pequot Indian museum, Ellis Island museum, National Building museum and the Statue of Liberty museum offer audio described tours.

Other Services

Look-Up Service

From 7pm to 9pm volunteers look up items from the Yellow Pages and the Washington Post classifieds. Please call (301) 681-7188 and a dedicated volunteer will help you as best they can.

NSO Concert Programs

The Ear provides an audio version of the National Symphony's printed programs on the Dial-In service. The Washington Ear also provides full schedules of the Strathmore Mansion and Music Center on the Dial In.

Tactile, Large-Print Atlases

In 1985 The Ear produced the first-ever Braille/raised-line/large print atlas of an entire state -- Maryland -- accompanied by historical, demographic and geographic data on three voice-indexed audio cassettes. The Ear also produced a Greater Washington Area raised-line and large-print atlas containing 14 maps and 250 entries.

Return to the Previous Page