- Video shows SAU radio's adaptive studio, created for sophomore, Cayley Fehr.
- Fehr lives without arms, and plans to pursue radio during her time at Spring Arbor University.
- Tom Davis, General Manager, introduced Fehr to the radio broadcasting program, but knew there would be challenges.
- With the help of a donor, SAU was able to build an adaptive studio, suitable for Fehr's capabilities.
On Spring Arbor University's campus, there's a radio station, and a student who sees radio in her future. "I got really excited and was like, 'I want to do this. If this is possible, I want to do this,'" says SAU sophomore, Cayley Fehr. On the radio, Fehr isn't just using her voice, but her feet.
"I've always liked using my voice. I like talking. I'm a huge talker," says Fehr. "It's just really fun to be able to talk on the radio and hear my voice." At first, she was interested in voice acting, and her first radio production class had her hooked. "I really enjoyed doing all my assignments, and I got excited to do my radio production homework. I was like, 'Wow, I really like this. I want to go into radio.'"
WATCH: Hear more from Cayley
However, there was one problem, she couldn't use the studio on her own. Fehr was born without arms. SAU Radio General Manger, Tom Davis, explains, "When I first met Cayley, she has a great personality, but I knew, if she was going to come here, we'd have some challenges. I knew it was because the studio wasn't set up for her." With that, Davis reached out to a donor to build an adaptive studio.
"Radio hasn't always been a place where it's accessible. Other areas of life, yes, there's a lot of programs out there; technology these days that people use for accessibility. Radio hasn't been one of them, yet," explains Davis. Now, Cayley can go on the radio, completely on her own. She went live from the adaptive studio for the first time Wednesday night.
"It makes me feel really good that I can start that, and other people that might need it can use it after me. Also, (it) feels good that I have it. It makes me feel special," laughs Fehr. A special legacy Fehr is leaving in this studio, along with the power of her voice. Davis says, "It is exciting, the fact that she is going to be the one proving to us, and anyone coming in that has a disability that doesn't think they can do radio or audio. There's a way of doing it."
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