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Listening to the soothing tones of radio broadcaster David Roosje, you would never know he struggles to see the microphone in front of him. Mt Gravatt’s Mr Roosje is low vision and legally blind, but it does not stop him and his co-hosts Torita Isaac and James Mullholland, who are also vision impaired, presenting their Blind Broadcasters show from their West End studio every Tuesday night from 9-11pm on 98.9FM.

Innovative technology helps Mr Roosje play music and work the buttons.

“I’ve got a program at the station called ZoomText” he said. “It’s an adaptive technology which enlarges text and it can read it back to you. I never thought I would end in radio but I love it”

Having been working at the station for a year as part of the Triple A Training, Brisbane Indigenous Media Association, My Roosje said being able to broadcast was extremely rewarding.

“It’s really satisfying hearing the finished product” he said. Mt Roosje said the thing that set radio apart for him was that his listeners couldn’t hear his disability.

“It is good that when i’m speaking on radio people wouldn’t necessarily know that about me” he said.

Story: City South News Picture: Renae Droop

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You can hear the Blind Broadcasters show on 98.9FM every Tuesday night from 9pm