The Detroit Radio Information Service, DRIS, Wayne State University's radio reading service, has recently expanded in Detroit and into Macomb County.

DRIS volunteers read more than 100 local and national newspapers and magazines, plus grocery and department store ads, public service announcements and special programs to help its listeners lead productive and informed lives.

DRIS has received a $25,000 City of Detroit Neighborhood Opportunity fund grant to help to provide radio reading and outreach services to Detroit's blind and print-disabled residents.

The Detroit Veteran's Hospital now gets 24-hour-a-day programming to the facility. The hospital management team says the service is invaluable for blinded veterans as well as those who are too frail to turn the pages of conventional reading material.

In the past few years DRIS has increased service from home penetration of just a few thousand to more than 40,000. In Detroit about 31,000 individuals are eligible for DRIS.

The Mount Clemens Lions Club in collaboration with the Macomb Cable Network, MCN, launched a new programming service, DRIS, to cable television subscribers in the Mount Clemens area last May 23.

The program airs from 8 p.m.-9 a.m. on Comcast Channel 12.

"This is another unique application of community cable television and we are thrilled to be part of it," says John Kotarski, MCN's executive director.

In the past Lions Clubs purchased specially designed radios or receivers for each household of a sight-impaired person. The partnership with MCN allows the service to reach 4,400 homes using one receiver.

President Elect Gary Blash of the Mount Clemens Club says, DRIS is not just entertainment. "It is an important tool for survival and community participation in our information-driven society," he says.

Kim Walsh, executive director of DRIS, predicts that it will continue to expand the use of cable as a delivery system throughout southeastern Michigan.

The DRIS goal is to provide equal access to the printed word for people who cannot see, hold or comprehend standard printed material. The service also offers a measure of companionship for those who might feel isolated or depressed because of their disability.

Volunteers always are needed. If you would like to know more about DRIS, call Walsh at 313.577.7684. A program schedule is available on voice mail at 313.577.4207.