Fuhsing Broadcasting Station’s “Angel DJ” project, aimed at helping disabled people who dream of becoming a radio host, has had great success over the past three years.
The station took a further step on Wednesday by donating a special recording studio built last year to the Tamsui Culture Foundation and opening it for public use.
According to one of the station’s hosts, Pan Mei-yuan (潘美緣), the Angel DJ project was inspired by a local media report three years ago about a nearly 60-year-old individual who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, who wanted to become a radio host.
Fuhsing Broadcasting Station controller Ting Tsung (丁宗) saw the report and said he wanted to do something for people who had mobility problems, which gave birth to the project, Pan said.
Since its commencement, the project has attracted many disabled people who are willing to challenge themselves to learn new skills, Pan said.
Travel was an especially difficult challenge, as the applicants had to be transported to the station on a hilltop near the Jiantan MRT Station (劍潭), Pan said.
That prompted the station to consider creating a customized recording studio that would be more accessible to people with limited mobility, Pan said.
The station held several fundraising events and filed applications for grant funding.
The studio in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水) was completed in May last year.
The studio has space for people who use wheelchairs to move around, and the equipment has been customized for ease of use by disabled people, Pan said.
These changes include lowered light switches, shallow table depths and even computer mice for blind people, she added.
One of the DJ applicants who joined the program in August last year was Lee Miao-hung (李妙紅), who had poliomyelitis.
“I’ve always thought of radio hosts as people who can move others with their positive view on life,” Lee said, adding that she never thought she would become one of them.
The station is currently working on a project in cooperation with a Finland-based radio program called Satakieli. The program explores the lives and experiences of disabled people in Finland and Taiwan.
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