Introduction

Digital techniques make possible to customize documents according to the needs of different readers. This may cover the lay-out, the style of presentation and the reading functionality. Transformations or adaptations can be operated on-demand from a server, while the distribution over the Internet can be secured as to respect the intellectual property associated with the contents. Moreover the Internet creates conditions where several players may co-operate to better address the diversity of needs expressed by several categories of readers including the visually handicapped. In this general context, a project was launched in 1998 with the support of the Europen Commission for exploring Secure Document Delivery solutions for visually impaired persons, the SEDODEL Project [2]. This project inspired a prototype secured server that was set up by BrailleNet in 2001. This prototype proved to be workable and turned into a service run by BrailleNet with the support of the Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et Automatique (INRIA), the University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris 6), the French Ministery of Culture and private sponsors.