Assistive Media works to heighten the educational, cultural, and quality-of-living standards for people with disabilities by providing free, copyright-approved, high-caliber audio literary works to the world-wide disability community. The internet enables Assistive Media to distribute audio effectively, inexpensively, and efficiently.
Assistive Media was inspired by Kenneth Harmon Erdody, a life-long diabetic and an avid reader. Kenneth's diabetic retinopathy was a concern for his son, David Henry Erdody. David searched for accessible literary works, but discovered that less than 5% of U.S. publications were provided in an alternative audio format specifically for people with text reading disabilities.
In 1996, David established Assistive Media: a self-financed 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which — with a small cadre of readers — began producing and distributing spoken-word recordings of otherwise inaccessible material to libraries for the blind and physically handicapped.
Two years later, with the advent of the World Wide Web and digital audio formats such as RealMedia, distribution of these recordings shifted to the Assistive Media web site.
Assistive Media recognizes that more than 95% of published works, a major source of information, culture, and education are originally published inaccessible to those with visual and text reading barriers. Assistive Media is a progressive and enabling force that seeks to close this gap, thereby heightening educational, cultural, and quality-of-living standards which leads to independence and integration into the mainstream of society and community life.
Assistive Media produces spoken-word recordings of short-subject literary works that are made easily accessible through the World-Wide Web. Currently, Assistive Media focuses on reproducing copyright-cleared material from reputable mainstream periodicals and independent writers, providing an eclectic mixture of interesting and educational material.
Fifty-four million Americans have a disability of some kind, Assistive Media has designed its service for the rapidly growing number of computer users. Due to the reach of the World-Wide-Web, Assistive Media efficiently and effectively serves an enormous geographical area. The following is only a brief list including conditions of persons who can benefit from Assistive Media.