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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

CNIB closes recording studio

Reading volunteers saddened by cutbacks

By: Meghan Hurley

5/12/2008 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

VOLUNTEERS who loved reading aloud to create audio books for the blind are feeling lost after learning their recording studio is shutting down.About 100 Canadian National Institute for the Blind volunteers will be displaced when the Winnipeg studio closes Dec. 31.

"People are devastated. Many volunteers have multiple-year commitments," volunteer James Botaitis said. "On my shift alone, two of the five or six people have more than a decade of commitment to the CNIB. They are quite emotional about it."

A spokeswoman based in Toronto said to cut costs, they need to centralize production.

"By concentrating our production, it allows us to invest more into our client services," Lesley Wilmot said.

The Winnipeg centre produces around 60 audio books every year. Three paid employees -- one full-time and two part-time -- will lose their jobs.

The shutdown won't change the number of books produced across the country, Wilmot said. The centres in Toronto and Montreal will continue to produce more than 550 English and French audio books.

"We have robust library service in our Toronto office with a number of studios and we will be continuing to record the collection as we always have. but we're going to do it in a more cost effective way."

Jim Rodger, a CNIB volunteer for almost 22 years, said recording audio books combined three great things -- meeting new people, reading and helping the visually impaired. Although he's sympathetic to the company's financial situation, he said the volunteers are "mourning."

"It has to be done and we understand why the main office in Toronto has to do this," said Rodger, who has commuted from outside Winnipeg to volunteer for the last seven years. "But it's very, very sad. My first recording session was in May 1987."

Wilmot said volunteers can still help blind people in their homes, drive them or help the Winnipeg office with fundraising efforts.

meghan.hurley@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 5, 2008 A7

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