Member Detail: BrailleNet Association

The BrailleNet Association was set up to develop the potential of Information Technology for visually impaired people in three main domains : information, education and culture.

Access to information

BrailleNet has been campaigning for a better accessible Web for all, writing and disseminating documents such as guidelines targeted toward Web designers. BrailleNet cooperates with the INRIA, one of the leading organisations of the W3C-WAI, and takes an active part in dissemination and outreach actions of WAI in Europe. BrailleNet helps organisations that commit themselves in the improvement of Web sites for their accessibility : for instance, BrailleNet brought its expertise to the newspaper "Le Monde", to the Web services of the Prime Minister, of Ministry of Equipment, Ministry of Health, Hachette Multimedia for its encyclopaedia, &

Access to education

BrailleNet encourages the implementation of technologies facilitating inclusive education. BrailleNet cooperates with publishers to promote a new technical and legal frame for the production and dissemination of learning materials.

BrailleNet takes part as a partner in the IST-VICKIE project.

BrailleNet coordinates a French project ETAPE, aiming at making the "electronic school bags" accessible to visually impaired students.

As computer games constitute an important part in the social life of children and are a complement to learning activities, BrailleNet contributes to the European IST-TIM project whose aim is to develop computer games compatible with various non visual interfaces (Braille display, Speech synthesiser, adapted screen). An authoring tool for creating/adapting games will be developed.

Access to culture

BrailleNet has set up an Internet server, Hélène, for the organisations producing books in alternate formats (Braille, large print). Organisations that have been certified get an authorisation for a secured access to source files. Hélène contains both literary and school books in French. The files have been provided by publishers who have contracted with BrailleNet. The DAISY standard has been adopted.

BrailleNet explores the potential of structured electronic formats and ways to produce automatically accessible books for visually impaired readers. For instance, BrailleNet prepares the French version of an audio-digital book on Venice, made of a CD-ROM and tactile images. This is part of the 3T-Book project, leaded by the City of Venice.