PAWEŁ MASARCZYK

Paweł Masarczyk from Poland was an EuSC-volunteer at FREIRAD from September 1, 2020 to July 31, 2021.

During his time at FREIRAD, Paweł gained insights into the areas of program coordination as well as broadcast and workshop design, toured through Innsbruck with FREIRAD and recorded events, got in contact with radio producers and created playlists. With a special focus on accessibility, Paweł created a broadcast series called „Mind the Gap“, which was dedicated to the topics of inclusion of people with disabilities, as well as digitaland architectural accessibility. You can listen to Pawel’s radio show Mind the Gap right here.

In a second radio show called „Source Code“ (German: Der Quellcode), Paweł revealed the secrets behind more or less well-known songs, talked about their history and heritage in the form of covers, remixes and internationalized versions. Even after the end of his EuSC-voluntary service, Paweł continued with his show and, until December 2022, sent it to Innsbruck every month. Here you can listen to his second radio show Der Quellcode.

As an EuSC-volunteer at FREIRAD, Pawel also coordinated the radio show „Talking Europe“, in which EuSC-volunteers from all over Europe talk about their experiences in various Tyrolean organisations in the arts, youth, education and social sectors. They play music and discuss hot topics such as the voluntary service, their personal experiences, intercultural and current social issues. You can listen to the Talking Europe radio show right here.

A very special project was „The Handbook for Blind and Visually Impaired Radio Broadcasters“ (German: Das Handbuch für blinde und sehbehinderte Radiomacher*innen), which Paweł wrote and edited during his voluntary service at FREIRAD. In it, he deals with existing barriers in broadcasting studios and equipment and gives tips and tricks on topics such as the barrier-free handling of studio equipment, the optimal configuration of one’s own accessories and recommendations for barrier-free software. Here you can find further information and download The Handbook for Blind and Visually Impaired Radio Broadcasters.

Paweł also was and still is a great help to the FREIRAD- and homepage development-team in improving the accessibilty of the new FREIRAD website.

About his time at FREIRAD, Paweł himself writes:

„I am Paweł Masarczyk and I joined FREIRAD on September 1, 2020 as a volunteer of the European Solidarity Corps. Since my arrival I have been mostly supporting the program coordination. My main tasks are to communicate with the radio broadcasters. I also participate in the administration of the day-to-day business, and take care of scheduling, phone calls and electronic correspondence. After completing the FREIRAD basic seminars, I have also had the chance to do individual radio shows like music broadcasts as well as radio shows with guest interviews. Thanks to the seminars, it was possible for me to master the technology relatively quickly.

Since I’ve been blind since birth and that fact brings some challenges with it, we took a lot of time to test and learn the computer technology. The various scripts and websites used by FREIRAD were checked for accessibility and the technology around the studio was redesigned in such a way that I would be able to produce and broadcast my own programs independently in the future.

During a presentation, I explained my experiences on the topic of accessibility to the FREIRAD team. The presentation focused on how people with visual impairments use computers and access websites. This also enriched the barrier-free design of the new FREIRAD homepage. We also have many new projects planned for 2021, such as a basic seminar for blind and visually impaired members of the Blind and Visually Impaired Association Tyrol (German: Blinden- und Sehbehintertenverband Tirol). I will also be doing other radio shows that will provide many new experiences.“

After the end of his EuSC-voluntary service, Paweł continued working at FREIRAD until December 2021. Still today he supports the workshop team and organizes courses for blind and non-blind radio broadcasters at FREIRAD.

Thank you, dear Paweł, for your great support at FREIRAD!