Connecticut Radio Information System Inc

aka CRIS Radio   |   Windsor, CT   |  www.crisradio.org

Mission

The mission of the Connecticut Radio Information Service (CRIS) is to provide quality audio access services for people who are blind or print-challenged.

Ruling year info

1978

Executive Director

Ms. Diane Weaver Dunne

Main address

315 Windsor Ave.

Windsor, CT 06095 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

06-0987696

NTEE code info

Services to Promote the Independence of Specific Populations (P80)

Blind/Visually Impaired Centers, Services (P86)

Other Youth Development N.E.C. (O99)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Imagine that you could not read – how would you get the kind of in-depth information you needed to be an active and knowledgeable participant in any conversation; how would you excel in school; how would you be able to enjoy the exhibits at museums? U.S. disability statistics indicate that: • 61,200 people in Connecticut have a visual impairment; • Dyslexia is the most common form of learning disabilities; • Children with learning disabilities graduate at a rate of only 65%; • There is a significant void of human-narrated children’s magazines for children who are blind, learning disabled or physically challenged; • Only 11% of adults with disabilities visit museums; and • 45% of Connecticut’s students do not meet their achievement level in English language arts/literacy. For those of us who can read, there is a plethora of information available for learning what is going in our communities, the state, the nation and the world. The audio programming CRIS provides enables people who

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

CRISKids

Children’s/Educational programming
• CRISKids for Schools (FY 2013), focusing on custom audio recordings of academic and classroom materials requested by educators, and the CRIS Common Core State Standards;
• CRISKids™ (FY 2012), delivering audio versions of award-winning children’s magazines focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math; and
• CRISKids Streaming, broadcasting audio versions of children’s magazines to each patient room at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center through its in-house system.
Emma, a student at Windsor’s Clover Street School, says, “Sometimes in books, they have really long words and you can’t understand them unless you go through a lot of work figuring out how to pronounce them. So with CRISKids, they read it to you and as you are following along, you can see the word and they will tell you so you can understand it better.”

Population(s) Served

CRISAccess™ (FY 2013)provides:
- audio versions of signage displayed at museum exhibits, as well as a brief audio-description of the exhibit along with tactile information, currently being utilized at Sturbridge Museum, Sturbridge, MA.; Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, CT; and New England Air Museum, Windsor Locks, Conn., and;
- audio versions of primary documents of WWI from the National Archives in collaboration with the Connecticut State Library.
Old Sturbridge Village says, “Of all the initiatives that the Village recently implemented to address accessibility, CRISAccess is the one that has received the greatest accolades from both the public as well as our advisory board of users and experts.”

Population(s) Served

Provides audio recordings of Spanish-language newspapers and magazines.

Population(s) Served

 Provide access to audio recordings of newspapers and magazines to adults who are blind or print challenged in their own homes, in assisted living facilities, and in hospitals.
Betty Clark is legally blind and in frail health. Her daughter told us “she always loved the news and current events and reading was her best friend when she had vision. She loves the radio from CRIS. It is on all the time and she is back to informing our family on current events and the world news. It is awesome; it brought back a big part of her life that was missing and makes her feel connected to the town and world around her.”

Population(s) Served

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of children who have access to audio recordings of educational materials

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

CRISKids

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Decreasing

Context Notes

Due to budget cuts in schools, some schools were not able to pay the membership fee. We anticipate serving 10,207 in 2020/21.

Number of downloads of audio recordings at museums, aquariums and outdoor cultural and recreational facilities and of audio recordings of WWI and of the Women's Suffrage Movement..

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

CRIS Access

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Since there are no industry standards to measure how many unique users are downloading recordings, we are now taking the greatest of downloads each month for one exhibit.

Number of indivduals in their own homes, patients at hospitals, people living in retirement communities, and visitors to senior centers,

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

CRIS General

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

The goal of CRIS is to: enhance knowledge, improve literacy, promote independence, and prevent isolation for people who are unable to read due to blindness or a print disability. We meet this goal by offering timely and continuous distribution of publications and other print materials using a variety of communications technology, including telephone, radio broadcasts, smartphones, mobile apps and Internet streaming.

The strategy we use to identify the needs of people who are blind or print challenged and provide programming to meet those needs. When Established in 1978, CRIS launched its broadcast service the following year with a two-hour broadcast to 50 adults. Improvements in broadcast and streaming technology and CRIS’ identification of unmet needs have enabled CRIS to expand its service to patients in hospitals and rehabilitation facilities, seniors residing in assisted living facilities, visitors of senior centers, visitors of museums, and students with special needs attending schools, after-school programs, summer school, and summer camps. As a result, the number of people who have access to CRIS programs has grown from 4,000 people in 2010 to over 105,000 people in 2020.

Our competent and dedicated staff have proven their ability to address the needs of people who are blind or print challenged, seek out innovative ways in which to meet those needs and provide programming to increase the number of people who have access to audio recordings of information that provides the opportunity for enhanced knowledge, reduced isolation, and increased independence

We are actively working on meeting the goals established in the long range strategic plan.

Financials

Connecticut Radio Information System Inc
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Connecticut Radio Information System Inc

Board of directors
as of 2/25/2021
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Paul Young


Board co-chair

Mr. Stephen Thall

Andrew Norton

State of CT

Regina Strand

Total Vision

Karen Bernard

Retired

Gail Lebert

Publishing

Saif Malik

ComcastNBCUniversal

Nyema Pinkney

UTC Aerospace

Carla Pariser

IBM

Paul Petro

COCC