Paying It Forward — and Back Again

April 13, 2026

After discovering his birth mother — and a potential health risk — one NPL volunteer is building a lifeline for his newfound kin … and himself

David Y. Williams at a recording studio before a Nashville Talking Library Recording Session — David Y. Williams is an NPL volunteer who reads for Nashville Talking Library.
Photo by Edward Patton/NPL

Every Monday morning, David Y. Williams settles into a recording booth at the Main Library in downtown Nashville, the latest issue of “Newsweek” open in front of him.

He has already read the articles and researched pronunciations of obscure names and foreign words and rehearsed them. For the next three hours, he will read the magazine aloud, cover to cover. He will then edit the sound files to tweak any imperfections before passing his work on to Nashville Public Library (NPL) sound technicians.

It’s all part of the gig as a volunteer reader for the Nashville Talking Library (NTL), which is housed at the Main Library.

“Volunteering at the Library over the years has always been very special to me, but reading ‘Newsweek’ for Nashville Talking Library is especially rewarding,” Dave said. “It’s personal.”

Sound Solutions

A hidden gem in NPL’s portfolio of free community resources, NTL broadcasts 24/7 audio content for people with barriers to reading, and has done so for the past 50 years.

Programming includes a daily live broadcast of “The Tennessean” and pre-recorded readings of a mix of news and entertainment content, from “Nashville Scene” to “National Geographic.”

People with barriers to reading can tune in to NTL — which operates as a private radio station of sorts — through a specially-tuned radio receiver available upon request.

David Williams reading Newsweek for Nashville Talking Library

David is one of many NTL volunteers whose diligent work serves as a vital resource for those who cannot read in a conventional sense. To put it in perspective, Davidson County has more than 97,000 people aged 65 or older, with about 9 percent reporting vision impairments, stemming from chronic conditions like macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy.

And that’s just scratching the surface.

NTL is a tremendous resource to people of all ages who do not have vision loss, but have other barriers to reading. That includes reading disorders like dyslexia, as well as degenerative conditions like cerebral palsy which may prevent the reader from holding a book or magazine or turning pages.

“People don’t realize that Nashville Talking Library serves people with such a wide array of disabilities,” said Cynthia Moynihan, NPL’s Equal Access Manager. “Chances are every single person knows someone who could benefit from this service, and our goal is to get the word out to help those in need.”

Volunteer Spirit

Dave has been an NPL volunteer off and on for the past 20 years and a volunteer in some form or function for most of his life.

“ADHD is my superpower,” explained the retired software development executive with a laugh. He has always juggled multiple volunteer opportunities with work, school, and daily life. Case in point: as a high schooler, Dave logged more than 1,000 hours supporting patients at a hospital in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.

After graduating from University of Louisville, he moved to Nashville for work and fell in love with NPL. Even then, signs pointed toward a passion for helping people with diverse communication needs. He signed up to volunteer at the Main Library downtown and started teaching a basic computer skills class. When a patron with hearing loss expressed interest in the class, Dave brought in a sign language interpreter so they could participate.

“When you see a person, you don’t always realize they have a disability,” Dave said. “A disability can create a sense of isolation, and sometimes a small effort can open up their world.”

But it wasn’t until years later, when Dave sought out a long-lost family member, that the road to Nashville Talking Library really began.

Finding Family

When Dave — who had always known he was adopted — decided to seek out his birth mother a few years ago, his life took a wildly unexpected turn.

“I was scared to do it, but I couldn’t shake that feeling that I really wanted to find her,” he said. “There were so many things I wanted to know.”

The result was nothing short of life-changing.

“When I reconnected with my birth mom, I started learning so much about myself, like where I got my sense of humor and some of my other personality traits,” he said. “I ended up traveling a lot with my birth mom, and you really get to know someone when you travel with them!”

But Dave also learned about something else: a potential health risk that he wouldn’t have known about otherwise. Several family members had suffered from macular degeneration, an age-related disorder that limits vision progressively over time.

“When my grandfather died, he was suffering from macular degeneration,” Dave said, “and he wasn't the only one. My aunt also had it, and my birth mom currently has vision loss.”

This monumental life change inspired Dave to expand his NPL volunteer responsibilities to include reading for NTL three years ago.

Paying it Forward

“Once I saw the impact of vision loss, it really motivated me to read for the Nashville Talking Library in honor of the people I care about,” he said. “And who knows, I very possibly will need a program like this one day, so I want to pay it forward now.”

Currently, about 700 listeners access Nashville Talking Library each month, hearing nearly 15,000 hours of content per year. Much of the content is created by Library volunteers, with some additional programs added from partner libraries.

Auditory Excellence

Cynthia said NTL listeners consistently express how the platform has been a source of hope and help as they navigate their medical condition or disability. Cynthia observed that the experience of hearing articles and books read aloud by real people (not artificial intelligence) can be comforting and restorative. “Who doesn’t like to be read to? I think we all enjoy that, no matter our age.”

She credits the program’s longevity to Library volunteers with a heart for inclusion.

“We never forget that at the heart of Nashville Talking Library are our reading volunteers, like Dave. They do not simply read, they bring text to life, one word at a time,” Cynthia said. “With every page, more than information is provided. Nashville Talking Library offers companionship, dignity, and care that is not just heard; it is felt.”