New podcast helps tell the stories of Tasmania’s literacy numbers

Four Tasmanian storytellers with a disability are looking to change media statistics and improve statewide literacy levels – one story at a time.

Co-host Annalise Haigh, producer and vice president of Print Radio Tasmania Honor Marino, Co-host and producer Rosie Putland, and president of print radio Hrisanthi Dokos with Member for Pembroke, Luke Edmunds. Picture: Linda Higginson

People with a disability represent 20 per cent of the Australian population, but only 1 per cent of the media industry.

Four Tasmanian storytellers with a disability are looking to change that statistic one story at a time – and improve the state’s poor literary standards – through a new podcast called Literacy Legends.

Co-host and co-producer of Literacy Legends, Rosie Putland, is a disability advocate who runs digital accessibility consultancy company Modality Co. She has autism and rheumatoid arthritis.

She said having diverse voices and diversity of experience in the media was “vital”.

Linda's Day, Print Radio Tasmania (formerly Radio for the Print Handicapped), Keith Graver reads a novel that is recorded and replayed

“We talk about disability as a minority group, but we’re not a minority – we are 20 per cent of the population. We’re the largest minority group in the world.

“It’s the only minority group that you can become a part of anytime,” Mrs Putland said.

She said having people with disabilities as part of the storytelling process was important as it “allows us to be able to fill the archives with the story of our community”.

“It allows us to be in control of our own narratives, our own stories, our histories and our knowledge,” she said.

As an avid podcast consumer, Mrs Putland said she had been waiting for someone to ask her to do a podcast of her own.

Linda's Day, Print Radio Tasmania (formerly Radio for the Print Handicapped), presenter Jan Miller, who is blind, at Print Radio Tasmania, played a key role in founding the station 30 years ago

So she was excited when producer and vice president of Print Radio Tasmania, Honor Marino, told her about the project with disability-led media platform Powerd Media.

Mrs Putland is already planning her next project which will focus on authors with a disability.

Data shows 48 per cent of Tasmanians are functionally illiterate – lacking the reading and writing skills needed to navigate daily tasks.

Ms Marino said it was important to celebrate the programs and people working hard to tackle these numbers.

“[It was] so uplifting not only to hear the stories of the people in Tasmania who are working hard to lift the statistics on literacy but also to work with incredibly talented group of hosts who bring the stories to life in a way that other people couldn’t,” Ms Marino said.

Co-host Annalise Haigh, producer and vice president of Print Radio Tasmania Honor Marino, and president of print radio Hrisanthi Dokos. Picture: Linda Higginson

Co-host Annalise Haigh said she felt powerful to be able to help people such as Charles, from Hamlet cafe, tell his story of learning to read and write.

“It’s a really powerful thing to do,” she said.

Print Radio Tasmania is a statewide community radio providing a vital service for people with print disabilities by turning print into sound.

The six episodes of Literacy Legends are available on all major podcast platforms.