NFB-NEWSLINE

Free service to those who are unable to read newsprint!

Unable to read the newspaper? We have the answer! It’s as easy as dialing a phone! And it’s FREE!

NFB-NEWSLINE® is a free audio news service for anyone who is blind, low-vision, or otherwise print-disabled that offers access to more than 500 publications, emergency weather alerts, job listings, and more.

NFB-NEWSLINE subscribers have access to

  • National newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal and USA Today
  • Breaking news sources, including CNN, BBC, and ESPN Online
  • International newspapers, including Financial Times and Vancouver Sun
  • Magazines, including Family Circle, Time, Consumer Reports, Guideposts, and Smithsonian
  • State newspapers
  • Emergency weather alerts and seven-day forecasts localized to your zip code or GPS location
  • The information that scrolls along the bottom of your television screen during emergency alerts
  • More than 100,000 job listings from two national job sources
  • TV listings localized to your zip code and provider
  • Retail ads
  • NFB's national channel, including the ebook Building the Lives We Want, the Braille Monitor, Future Reflections, and presidential releases

How to Sign Up for NFB-NEWSLINE

Anyone who cannot read printed publications due to vision loss, dyslexia, or a physical disability is eligible to receive NFB-NEWSLINE. Please register by calling your state's Library for the Blind and print-disabled or the National Federation of the Blind at 866-504-7300 to request an application. You may also download and mail an application or complete our online application. After your registration is processed, you will receive a message containing your activation codes and instructions.

Ways to Access NFB-NEWSLINE

After you sign up for NFB-NEWSLINE, you will be able to access it in any of the following ways. If you are a current subscriber, you do not need to create a new account or obtain new codes to use additional methods. Your current codes will allow you to access NFB-NEWSLINE using any method you choose. If you’ve forgotten your codes, please call us for assistance.

iOS Mobile App 3.0 with KNFB Reader Basic

NFB-NEWSLINE Mobile includes these features and much more:

  • KNFB Reader Basic, a free version of KNFB Reader with the core functions necessary to quickly scan any printed text – just point, shoot, and read
  • The ability to share articles from publications in the breaking news category to social media channels
  • Multiple customization options to organize, save, and manage both NFB-NEWSLINE content and documents scanned with KNFB Reader Basic

NFB-NEWSLINE Mobile 3.0 is fully accessible with VoiceOver so that users can hear content read aloud or read it in Braille with a connected refreshable Braille display or notetaker, making the app ideal for blind and deafblind users.

Phone

Blind person using a telephone to access NFB-NEWSLINE

  • Access NFB-NEWSLINE through your phone with the touch of a few buttons
  • Create your own favorites list, skip articles or sections, and repeat items you wish to re-read
  • Enable the continuous reading mode which allows you to start, stop, and skip articles
  • Alter the reading voice by changing the volume, speed, and pitch

Amazon Echo

  • Access NFB-NEWSLINE hands-free on any Amazon Alexa product, including Echo and Echo Dot
  • Alter the reading voice by changing the volume, speed, and the voice itself
  • Use dozens of voice commands to navigate to sections and articles that interest you

iOS Mobile App

Blind person using iPhone with bluetooth earpiece while using NFB-NEWSLINE app

Website

  • Access NFB-NEWSLINE on a secure, text-only website that is screen-reader friendly
  • Easily navigate and search every available publication
  • Email a full publication, a section, or single article to your inbox
  • Visit nfbnewslineonline.org to access NFB-NEWSLINE online.

Email

  • NFB-NEWSLINE can email your news, customized job listings, and information directly to your inbox
  • Provide us with an email address, choose your favorites, and select frequency (once daily or updates throughout the day)
  • Visit nfbnewslineonline.org to set up your NFB-NEWSLINE email service.

Portable Players

blind person listening to NFB-NEWSLINE with NLS player

  • Access NFB-NEWSLINE through many popular digital talking book players
  • Portable, plug and play, wireless download for Victor Reader Stream 2nd Generation
  • Easily navigate sections and articles with the use of DAISY-standard formatting
  • Visit nfbnewslineonline.org to learn more.

Additional Features on NFB-NEWSLINE

In addition to reading newspapers and magazines, you can take advantage of these additional features available through NFB-NEWSLINE.

Emergency Weather Alerts and Seven-Day Forecasts

NFB-NEWSLINE offers both seven-day weather forecasts as well as emergency weather alerts. These weather alerts are localized to your zip code, or using your GPS for the NFB-NEWSLINE iOS Mobile App. Now if you hear the emergency tones on your television and are unable to read the message scrolling on the screen, you can log into NFB-NEWSLINE and the weather emergency will be provided to you immediately. You can then obtain further details if necessary, or proceed to your news and information.

Job Listings

NFB-NEWSLINE provides job listings from two national job sources each offering over 100,000 listings. Job listings are customizable and can be shared with your rehabilitation professional or other party at your request by providing a second email address. Customize your listing(s) by:

  • Zip code
  • Distance from your home
  • Category (such as “marketing”, “healthcare,” or “information technology”)
  • Education level
  • Full time, part time or contract
  • Minimum salary
  • Maximum salary
  • Search phrase (such as “entry-level” or “experienced”)
  • You can even save more than one job profile

TV Listings

NFB-NEWSLINE offers TV listings customized to your home zip code and your television provider using the telephone access method. Hear only television listings for your provider. When available, the listings include which shows provide audio description.

Retail Ads

NFB-NEWSLINE provides retail ads for national retailers. These ads, when possible, are customized to your zip code so you read only local ads.

NFB-NEWSLINE NFB National Channel

Our National Channel provides information specific to your interests.

On this channel (Option 1 on the Telephone Access Method) you will find:

  • The ebook, Building the Lives We Want: The Seventy-Fifth Anniversary History of the National Federation of the Blind
  • The Braille Monitor
  • Future Reflections
  • NFB Presidential Releases: a monthly report on current NFB activities, delivered personally by the President of the NFB
  • National Federation of the Blind Kernel Books

Participating Arkansas Publications

  • A.I.R.S. Radio
  • Arkansas Democrat Gazette
  • Associated Press Arkansas
  • Baxter Bulletin
  • Northwest Arkansas Morning News

Additional Information

To learn more about NFB-NEWSLINE, please visit www.nfb.org/nfbnewsline. If you have any questions, please contact Jahmal Lovato, coordinator of NFB-NEWSLINE for Arkansas, at lovatojahmal@gmail.com. You can also call NFB-NEWSLINE at 1-866-504-7300 (toll free).