Light pours from a long window onto the dining room table where Evelyn Owen sips coffee and catches up on local news each morning. The 90-year-old Delaware resident enjoys reading the newspaper, checking her horoscope and skimming over a few comics. Her eyesight, however, isn’t what it used to be so she now does all those things by listening instead of reading.

Owen is one of more than 2,500 people in Central Ohio who take advantage of a radio reading service known as VOICEcorps. The service provides 24-hour, seven days per week broadcasts of local, state, national and world publications. The audio renditions of news and entertainment publications include everything from descriptions of comics to grocery advertisements.

“It’s pretty much just like reading the paper,” Owen said, adding, “I guess you can’t do the crossword puzzle though.”

Owen, a former school teacher, has been listening to the radio reading service for about eight years. She has a special radio in the dining room she uses to pick up the VOICEcorps broadcast signal, which is located on the sub-carrier of WOSU radio.

About once a month, Owen hears the news coming from her closed-circuit radio in a familiar voice. Her son, Bill Owen, has volunteered with Columbus-based VOICEcorps for more than 16 years and regularly reads local publications for broadcast.

Owen, a Delaware County assistant prosecutor, relocated to Delaware last spring but continues to volunteer for the group. He worked in radio and television for 10 years, including time spent in the U.S. Air Force, and said he enjoys being behind a microphone again.

“It’s about giving back, but it’s fun and there are just wonderful people involved with this,” he said.

VOICEcorps relies on about 250 volunteers to make its radio reading service available in 21 counties in Central Ohio. The free service is available for people of all ages who are blind, visually impaired or have other disabilities and cannot access the printed word.

VOICEcorps celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, the same year that marks the 20th anniversary of the sweeping Americans with Disabilities Act. VOICEcorps Executive Director Sandy Turner said its service, like handicap accessible ramps and buildings, is about providing equal access.

“We help people be more independent by giving them information so they can make decisions and by giving them information so they can carry on a conversation and know what is going on,” she said. “And for some, VOICEcorps is just a friendly voice in the room.”

Turner said there are about 160 similar radio reading services across the country.

She said surveys have shown their listeners enjoy local publications most, since they can get national or international news elsewhere. Radio volunteers read 56 different Central Ohio publications, including the Delaware Gazette.

Listeners can also hear national periodicals — such as Time, People and Reader’s Digest — as well as sports, travel, fashion, cooking and home-making magazines, not to mention books.

VOICEcorps is using new technologies to make its services more widely available. Listeners can now hear broadcasts on the group’s website or the community channel on Time Warner Cable.

For more information about VOICEcorps, volunteering for the group or taking advantage of its services, call 614-274-7650 or visit www.voicecorps.org.

bbullock@delgazette.com