Deaf and hearing impaired people might not be able to listen to radio, but they can see the news with a new technology called digital radio. It allows them to read text from a radio broadcast by displaying it on a special screen that is integrated into the radio. And to help seize all the opportunities this technology presents, Towson University, together with National Public Radio and Harris Corporation, created the International Center for Accessible Radio Technology, known as ICART.

Towson professor Ellyn Sheffield and her students provide research and administrative support. NPR Labs, under the direction of chief technology officer and executive director Mike Starling, provides technology, R&D and software development.

ICART is also working on the Braille Radio project, which will assist people who are deaf-blind. With 650 million sensory-disabled people in the world, many have a lot to gain. And considering that radio is still the primary source for emergency information, ICART's work doesn't just improve people's lives – in some cases, it might actually save them.