Overview

Each member of our staff and board have committed to accessibility, equity and inclusion as embodied in our most recent SLB Diversity Statement and Plan. Questions about accessibility may be addressed to Larry Berger (Executive Director) at larry@slbradio.org. These individuals are also available at 412.586.6300.

Radio and audio are unique in their ability to provide equal opportunities for engagement. Whether a studio visitor, listener, on-air participant — or all three — SLB strives to make our programming available to everyone.

Visiting Our Studios

SLB is co-located in the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. Accessibility features of the museum complex — also available to SLB visitors — include:

  • Onsite accessible parking spots
  • Main entrances that are wheelchair accessible with power assist doors
  • Full accessibility by ramp and elevator to reach our studios and all parts of the museum except for the Gravity Room
  • Maps of magnets in use at the museum
  • Wheelchairs for loan on a first-come, first-served basis
  • Tactile museum maps are available at the Admissions Desk
  • Braille menus are available in the Big Red Room Cafe

Service animals and motorized wheelchairs are always permitted. Our studios are 100% accessible by elevator and was designed in consultation with an accessibility expert with goals of exceeding requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Features include:

  • The ability of all points of egress and work spaces to accommodate wheelchairs
  • Height-adjustable microphones and equipment
  • Equipment that allows visitors to experience how our studio works by listening, watching or touch
  • Notably, our studio was designed with a flat floor. There are no ramps to negotiate during entrance and exit.

Listening to Our Programming

Listeners can hear SLB on a variety of platforms that bring our programming directly to them. Options that may be of interest to people with special needs include:

  • Specially-designed FM radios: The wide range of mainstream radios available — especially those with station presets — makes it easy for people of all abilities to listen to SLB via a device already in their home or car. For people who are blind or visually impaired, specialized FM radios such as the Speechmaster Tzalking Portable Multi-Function FM Clock Radio, Low-Vision Large Dial AM-FM Table Radio and others are available to simplify tuning in.
  • Cable television: Although we are a radio program, we recognize that tuning into a TV channel may be easier than tuning into a radio station. Through a relationship with Pittsburgh Community Television (PCTV), SLB makes it’s programming available on Comcast Channel 21 and Verizon Channel 47.
  • Standard telephones: Through a unique relationship with the Audio Now Network, all SLB 24/7 services are available for listening through the telephone! These services are not Internet streaming, but an actual playback of our audio signals into the phone used to dial in and works with any kind of phone, including landlines. Listeners can hear The Saturday Light Brigade by dialing (515) 605-9542, Youth Express by dialing (515) 605-9548 and iQ Kids Radio by dialing (515) 605-9549. There is no special  cost for the call, but long distance rates apply, as applicable to the telephone from which the call is made.
  • Tactile Internet radios: All SLB services are available in streaming and on-demand form accessible by computer. Streaming services can easily be heard using stand-alone, tactilely operated Internet radios such as this model from Grace Digital and this model from Sangean. These and other models include programmable buttons for one-touch access to SLB streams.

Participating in Our Programs and Workshops

We offer many ways to participate at SLB. During our broadcasts, listeners can participate in real-time by telephone, text, email or Instant Input, a modified email system available at slbradio.org/radio. Listeners who are unable to visit during a live broadcast can have their texts or emails relayed on the radio or — better yet — have their phone call placed on the radio so that they can speak or perform live on the air from wherever they are. We also have opportunities to prerecord on-air segments in our studios, by telephone or on location as needs warrant.

SLB field trips and workshops use a variety of techniques to connect with students of all abilities and SLB staff have been trained in best practices for special populations. We recently piloted a specialized field trip for people who are blind or visually impaired that relies 100% on tactile equipment. We also have collaborated with the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh to develop programs during its Sensory Friendly Afternoons.