Copyright: DAISY News is the intellectual property of the DAISY Consortium. It is hereby placed in the public domain. DAISY News may be freely copied as an eText document or reproduced in accessible formats for people who are blind or print-disabled. Individual articles may be republished for nonprofit purposes; but full attribution should be given to the DAISY Consortium, DAISY News, and the article's author. For-profit organizations interested in reprints should send email to info@mail.daisy.org to discuss permission procedures.
Our vision is that all published information is available to people with print disabilities, at the same time and at no greater cost, in an accessible, feature-rich, navigable format.
Our mission is to develop the international Standard and implementation strategies for the production, exchange and use of Digital Talking Books in both developed and developing countries, with special attention to integration with mainstream technology to ensure access to information for people with print disabilities.
Skip the Table of Contents and go to the first articleThe DAISY Consortium staff, with the support of a number of the Consortium's Members and Friends, is pleased to bring you another issue of DAISY News. As we promised in October, this issue is almost entirely dedicated to announcements about and descriptions of DAISY-related tools. Because tools are our "theme" this time, we are not including some of our usual columns. We also have some reports on recent training courses. If you are thinking about requesting a training course, don't miss these articles.
Most of this issue is devoted to discussions of production, playback, and related tools. We offer this issue of the newsletter for informational purposes only; the Consortium cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or validity of the representations of products and services included. Nevertheless, we hope you will find this resource to be a valuable one and that you will support those Members that are, or will be, Beta testing several pieces of supporting DAISY-related software in the coming months.
As I have received and reviewed submissions for this issue, I have been impressed with the dedication and cooperative spirit our Members and Friends demonstrate as we all work together to promote DAISY as the worldwide standard for information access. As you look through the newsletter, I am sure you will agree with me. The Consortium has achieved much, and with the variety of tools we now have within our reach, we can continue to build the bridge that will span the information gap and significantly improve access for people with print disabilities.
I am a trained voice coach and am totally blind. I have been searching for a recording tool which will help me to cope with the rigours of rehearsal for performances and the varied teaching I now undertake. I have found such a tool in the software that comes with the PTR1.
I learned how to use the tool in two hours, with no supervision or advice. It provides a completely accessible recording environment with the added bonus of being able to structure your recordings for ease of use.
I have now recorded around 1500 hours of material with the software, the majority of which is live recordings of lessons or rehearsals. When voice coaching, I record all lessons, inserting headings as we change topic during the lesson. In this way, I can rapidly review the content of a lesson when writing reports. I have also used this method during marking of examinations, so I can concentrate on performances and not writing notes. During what has been a hectic round of rehearsals for Christmas concerts, I record vocal parts in sections, as well as the rehearsals themselves.
This tool has made an incalculable difference to the way in which I work. A typical week can yield 20 hours of lessons and rehearsals, which, on cassette is close to impossible to navigate. I can now jump to points in a rehearsal or lesson, and I have started to "punch in" additional material and notes as I review.
The software is a fantastic invention, and the Consortium should do all it can to try to support its availability as a tool for visually impaired people throughout the world.
Do you know someone who is using DAISY books or production in a unique way? If so, why not tell us about it? Use our Tell Us Your News form, and we may choose to publish the story on the DAISY Web site in our testimonials area.
Although many Consortium members are providing updates about tools they either have on hand or are developing, we would also like to let you know about other news from Members. We are pleased to welcome a new Associate Member, and we bring you an update from Germany.
We are pleased that Educational Testing Service (ETS) has joined the Consortium as an Associate Member. It is the world's largest private educational testing and measurement organization and a leader in educational research. A nonprofit company dedicated to serving the needs of individuals, educational institutions and agencies, and governmental bodies in 181 countries, ETS develops and annually administers more than 12 million tests worldwide on behalf of clients in education, government and business.
ETS will arrange for special accommodations to facilitate the testing process for test takers with disabilities. As the organization continues to move toward extensive computer-based testing, it will be exploring the DAISY standard as a method of providing an accessible test-taking experience.
The Westdeutsche Blindenhörbücherei e.V. in Munster, Germany, member of the Association of the German Talking Book Libraries for the Blind, member of the DAISY Consortium, has now from October 14th, 2002 begun to distribute digital talking books for the interested customers. Up to now about 160 titles are available and each new title of our current production (still on analogue tapes) will be successively converted into DAISY format, using LpStudio/Plus and LpStudio/Pro. Now, by the end of November 2002, we can tell that already about 70 clients are happy to borrow digital books and encourage to continue our new line.
The Westdeutsche Blindenhörbücherei is the most important German talking book library for the blind (about 18.500 titles, more than 8.000 clients) and the first organization in Germany to begin distributing digital and DAISY audio titles on such a large scale.
For more information, please visit the Web site at www.wbh-online.de.
Two back-to-back training courses were conducted in November, and both were very successful. One was held in Malaysia, and the other was held in South Korea. The full reports are here for your consideration; the course syllabi may prove especially useful to those organizations that may be planning to request a course.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
November 18 - 21, 2002
This course was presented by Miki Azuma and Lynn Leith for five participants, as follows:
One of the participants was visually impaired, one was blind and three were sighted.
The main focus of this course was DAISY NCC book production with Sigtuna DAR 3 and MyStudio PC, as requested by Mr. Wong Yoon Loong.
Workstation check and final set up were conducted on Sunday November 17. The course spanned 4 days, Monday November 18 to Thursday November 21 inclusive.
Finally, a CD was distributed that contained: a Project created in SigtunaDAR 3 (each receiving the project he/she had created), DTBD validator, LpPlayer, tpb Reader, Jaws script for tpb Reader, Sigtuna DAR 3 Manual, MyStudio PC Guidelines, and Jaws Script for SigtunaDAR.
We assisted the participants in the preparation of several "real" books that would be produced following the course. One of the books, approximately 90 pages in length, was produced after hours by a course participant and another employee from one of the represented organizations. The audio was completely recorded and the "build" done before the end of the final day of the course. What was particularly interesting about this project was that it had previously been produced in braille. The narration of the audio was done from the braille by a braille proofreader who is totally blind.
Seoul, South Korea
November 27 - 29, 2002
This course was presented by Miki Azuma, Lynn Leith and Markus Gylling for five participants from the following organizations:
Ms. Keun Hae Youk had requested that all three of the Consortium's DAISY production tools be covered during the course. In addition, Markus Gylling consulted with one participant to provide tutoring regarding techniques for creating XHTML. Miki and Lynn lead the main course with the other participants.
Workstation check and final set up were conducted on the morning of Tuesday November 26. The course spanned 3 days, Wednesday November 27 to Friday November 29 inclusive.
MyStudio PC:
Sigtuna DAR 3
Discussion of some general concepts:
LpStudio/Pro
Some final concepts:
Participants were provided with a CD containing the following:
If you would like to explore the possibility of having a DAISY training session in your organization, please send email to Lynn Leith, International Training and Technical Support Coordinator, at Lynn.Leith@cnib.ca
On November 28, 2002 the working group for the implementation of Skippable Structures distributed a draft recommendation for Consortium-wide review. This describes an implementation plan for these features in books being produced to the DAISY 2.02 specification. We are asking organizations to review the recommendation.
The DAISY 2.02 specification identifies optional skippable structures that empower an end user to configure their player to automatically "skip over" several types of elements found in most books and especially in student materials. Footnotes, optional producer notes, sidebars, and the voicing of page numbers are the items that this specification addresses. If the feature of skippable page numbering is added, a conforming player would allow the end user to turn off the automatic reading of page numbers as they are encountered. For example, in a leisure book, the page numbers may be intrusive to reading, and implementing this feature in your Digital Talking Book (DTB) would mean that the end user has the option of hearing the page number or not. Likewise, many times the reading of footnotes or long figure descriptions is something the end user may choose to automatically skip, or jump over with a press of a button.
NOTICE: Every skippable structure is a navigation point in the NCC. In this way, an end user may at any time easily navigate to the page number, footnote, endnote, rear note, optional producer note, or sidebar.
The full recommendation can be found at: http://www.daisy.org/publications/drafts.php
We invite comments to be sent to the discussion list technical-developments@daisy.org.
To find out about a tool to help you implement skippable structures, see the article, The Skippability Tweaker elsewhere in this issue.
Members of the Consortium have access to three DAISY digital talking book production tools: LpStudio/Pro, Sigtuna DAR 3, and MyStudio PC. Each of these tools can be used to produce DAISY DTB, and an organization may find that one or more is better suited to its production processes, environment and workflow. Some organizations will find it advantageous to use more than one tool, in relation to specific programs or operations. A brief comparison of these tools is also provided in the Tools section of the DAISY Web site, www.daisy.org/tools/production.php
This tool can be used to produce both NCC-only and full text DAISY DTBs. It has extensive features for full text DTB production with external source documents and is extremely stable. The current version available for download on the DAISY Web site is 1.5.77. Version 1.6 is expected to be released in the near future.
There are two recording screen options, Advanced and Simple. The Advanced recording window allows the technician to place marks and annotations in the project. In addition, clip warnings and errors are reported on the Edit screen. Reports on marks and clip warnings and errors can be generated. Access is password protected and it is possible to set varying levels of user access with rights to selectable functions. LpStudio/Pro is a very suitable tool for working in a networked environment. Of the three tools, it is sometimes considered to be the most complex by new users.
LpStudio/Pro was initially designed for organizations which create the structure/textual content prior to recording. As a result, editing of the structure/textual content after recording has begun is somewhat limited. Although designed with larger producing organizations in mind, it can also be used as a stand-alone tool. The Structure Editor, a component of LpStudio/Pro, can be used to create DAISY 2.02 xhtml files for NCC-only books. Note however that the limitations for editing projects created in this way still apply.
Scripts for Jaws and maps for Supernova are available. The latest versions are available on the DAISY Web site. An external synthesizer is required.
This tool can be used to produce both NCC-only and full text DAISY DTBs, however, its flexibility for editing the structure/textual content during recording makes it a very effective tool for the production of NCC-only books. With Sigtuna DAR 3, in NCC-only DTB production, it is possible to add, edit, and remove NCC headings and page numbers after recording has been started.
The ATAU (Automatic Text Addition Utility) function allows the producer to add segments of full text to an NCC-only DTB.
Sigtuna DAR 3 can be used both in larger organizations or in a stand-alone setting. It was designed initially with volunteer recording in mind, and is sometimes considered to be less complex by new users. Although the recording functionality is not as extensive as that of LpStudio/Pro, its flexibility in terms of structure/textual content editing is considered to be extremely useful. Note that in full text DTB production the editing limitations in Sigtuna DAR 3 are like the limitations in LpStudio/Pro.
Scripts for Jaws are available. The latest versions are available on the DAISY Web site. An external synthesizer is required.
This tool is used to create NCC-only DTBs, it cannot be used to produce full text DAISY DTBs. It is extremely easy to learn and to use. There is one main screen where both recording and editing functions are performed.
MyStudio PC has an additional feature which generates synthesized speech from an existing text document. This feature facilitates fast and easy production of NCC-only DAISY books, with no human voice narration required.
It is not possible to use an existing XHTML document to generate the structure of a book for production with MyStudio PC. The headings must be keyed in or pasted in.
This tool was designed with easy access for individuals with a visual disability in mind. MyStudio PC can be used by organizations where the structure/textual content (NCC) is not produced before recording is begun. It is also very suitable for production by volunteers working at home or in a stand-alone setting in a studio environment.
MyStudio PC is fully self-voicing and therefore does not require an external synthesizer.
A number of tools are being developed to assist you in producing and validating DAISY books. We will tell you about a few of them here, and you will be hearing about others in the coming months. This time, we feature:
Please download and use these tools. Feedback about them is welcome.
The DAISY Spy will scan the filesystem for DAISY-projects, collecting useful information about each project during this process. It will maintain a record for each project and can display the "history" of a project. The Spy is a filter for the project display, so that only projects satisfying various criteria will be displayed. Such criteria can be project size, level of completeness, date of last recording, DAISY format, required meta-data, etc.
By using this software, you can get answers to questions such as:
DAISY Spy also offers a statistics part, giving numbers for average playback time, production time, project size, number of pages, the ratio of production time to playback time etc, etc, for the current productions, or for the projects completed during the last week/month/year etc etc.
All together, DAISY Spy gives you the answers to questions you did not even think to ask...
Sounds like a commercial, but actually the program will be available for free to members of the Consortium. At the moment, the program is in a beta stage, hopefully there will be a stable version available soon after Christmas. A beta is available for download now, from www.ks-huseby.no/daisy/DaisySpy, where there is also more information to be found about the program. Contact Per Sennels per.sennels@statped.no.
The DAISY Regenerator is a software tool designed to enable organisations to repair and upgrade existing DAISY 2.0 and 2.02 DTBs.
The tool takes a DAISY 2.0 or 2.02 DTB as input, and performs a series of operations on it in order to output a valid DAISY 2.02 DTB.
Features include:
Why use the Regenerator?
The Regenerator works together with the DAISY 2.02 Validator. After regeneration has been done, the DTB can be automatically validated, to ensure that no errors or inconsistencies remain.
The Regenerator is scheduled to be released during the first quarter of 2003. For more information, visit www.daisy.org/tools/conversion.php.
The optional features described in the DAISY 2.02 specification as of October 2002, have not yet been implemented in production tools or in playback systems. Several Members of the DAISY Consortium serving students have been extremely vocal about the need for this feature.
These technical individuals in collaboration with the technical DAISY staff have developed a strategy to implement these features that is completely independent of LpStudio/Pro or Sigtuna DAR.
Organizations who wish to implement these features would be required to include additional markup in their source files and to use a post processing tool - The Skippability Tweaker - on the completed project to add this functionality.
The Skippability Tweaker supports adding these features to both NCC-Only and Full Text DTBs. Supported skippable structures are page numbers, sidebars, producer notes and footnotes.
At the time of writing (December 2002), the Skippability Tweaker is already successfully used by the beta testing team to produce DTBs with skippable structures. Final public release is scheduled for the first quarter of 2003.
For more information, visit www.daisy.org/tools/skippability.
The DAISY 2.02 Validator is a software tool designed for validation (conformance testing) of DAISY 2.02 compliant DTBs.
DTB Validation software such as the the DAISY 2.02 Validator can be used in many different scenarios:
The DAISY 2.02 Validator is made freely available under an LGPL Open Source License. In addition to no-cost access to the application, the LGPL license also allows for-profit agencies (such as authoring tool developers) to integrate the DAISY 2.02 Validator in their own applications.
The DAISY 2.02 Validator, currently available in a Release Candidate 1 version, runs on Windows™ 98, ME, 2000 and XP.
For more information and download, visit www.daisy.org/tools/validation.php.
The launch of a digital audio book service is a major undertaking that involves all facets of the business: DAISY book production, CD-media production and distribution, acquisition, distribution and maintenance of playback devices, customer book request management, etc. This short discussion is based on VisuAide's experience in successfully supporting the launch of major services in four countries: Sweden, UK, US and the Netherlands. Our complete line of products (Victor Pro, Classic and Soft) have been involved in initial playback-device distribution in various combinations in each of these countries.
From the start, there must be very strong cooperation between the libraries launching services and the DAISY player manufacturer. Many details must be resolved to ensure a smooth launch, including player localization, efficient user-education, and proper interaction between books, media and players, as well as after-sales service. A successful launch must be planned carefully months in advance. At VisuAide, we work closely with libraries for the blind to deliver an efficient product rollout.
Over time we have discovered that the most effective way to prepare the launch is to have initial player evaluation in the field by a small group of users, extensive testing of the books in initial production to ensure full compatibility with DAISY players, and the introduction of a strong after-sale technical and operational support organization to deal with inquiries from service patrons. Concluding these steps will lead to an excellent documentation package for patrons when they receive their players, making them feel at home with the service, confident the books can be depended on to work properly, and highly satisfied with the support provided.
VisuAide has gained a lot of experience from close relationships helping several institutions in launching DAISY book services. Come and talk to us so we can help you plan and implement your own service launch.
Visit VisuAide's Web site at www.visuaide.com.
The Plextalk PTR1, with extensive DAISY playback features and stand-alone recording capability, delivers exceptionally high performance in a battery powered, portable, and stylish design. It meets any of your personal recording needs, such as recording lectures in class, for your volunteers' recordings, or even recording an entire conference proceeding. A built-in microphone and optional external microphone provide recording versatility to handle a variety of situations. You can record up to 90 hours on a single recordable CD, and during the recording you can create heading and page navigation points for quick and easy navigation later.
It also works as a standard external CD-RW drive when attached to a PC with a USB interface. Via a USB connection, you can transfer your recordings into a PC, and then, using Plextalk Recording Software, edit or reorganize the recording for easier use later. It is a great tool for both personal and volunteer recording applications at home and school.
A Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) is $995 USD. For more information, see: www.plextalk.com/plextalk_portable.html. The PTR-1 was also recently featured on ACBRadio's Main Menu. To read more about it and find a link to the interview, see the article on the DAISY Web site: Plextalk Portable Recorder Featured on ACB Radio's Main Menu.
Features & Highlights of this device include:
What else is New & Noticeable:
Further information is available on several Web pages:
AMIS is an open source DAISY playback system produced by JSRPD. It is freely available from our Web site: http://www.amisproject.org. DAISY book playback features include synchronized full text and audio, NCC navigation, and custom text display styles. The current version of AMIS supports the DAISY 2 standard.
Two things about AMIS make it stand out: skins and plug-ins. A skin refers to the application's look and feel, and the AMIS plug-in architecture is a method by which external devices and other programs can communicate with AMIS. By running AMIS with plug-ins loaded, you can control the software via a game pad, voice recognition, or a scanner program; and see the DAISY output (the highlighted phrase or paragraph) as large font or refreshable braille. Instructions for writing your own plug-ins can be found at www.amisproject.org/swdocs/.
We would like to invite other developers to get involved in the AMIS project. AMIS source code is located at the DAISY Source Initiative site, http://dsidtb.sourceforge.net. If you are interested, please email info@amisproject.org.
We have many exciting future plans for AMIS, so stay tuned!
In an attempt to encourage large audio book publishers to adopt the DAISY format, EaseReader from Dolphin Computer Access is the only DAISY software player to have been developed with features for both the accessibility and mainstream publishing markets.
In addition to being fully accessible through self-voicing and full keyboard access, EaseReader also has many unique features that enhance the multimedia entertainment or learning experience that the DAISY format can provide.
For example, in addition to high contrast highlight and background color settings, "fun" effects such as glowing text can be chosen. Also, Images can be made to "pop up" in a separate window in synchronization with the text or audio. Images displayed in such a manner are very helpful in the classroom for reference materials - Imagine having an image of the various sections of the human heart or digestive system appear in synchronization with the descriptive audio.
EaseReader may also be displayed as a "remote control" unit that can be positioned anywhere on the screen and allows sighted users to work in other applications whilst playing a DAISY book.
EaseReader has a very intuitive, attractive Graphical User Interface which anyone familiar with other multimedia products will instantly feel comfortable using.
Finally, the price - To make an impact on a wider scale than existing DAISY players, EaseReader has been priced at the extremely low figure of £30.00 + tax and shipping.
For further information about EaseReader, please visit www.dolphinse.com.
INCI has launched Beta versions of five pieces of software to enhance access to information for visually impaired people.
Of special interest to Consortium Members and Friends is the INCI Reader. This software allows blind or print disabled people to read DAISY Digital Talking Books. You can read the text by phrases, pages or chapters or leave one bookmark. The 1.0 version will be released by March 2003.
The four other pieces of software are of general interest to organizations providing services to people who are blind or visually impaired or to these consumers themselves. INCI's other software projects include:
These products can be downloaded freely from our Web site: www.inci.gov.co, Email dtecnologico@inci.gov.co.
Innovative Rehabilitation Technology Inc. (I.R.T.I.)
13453 Colfax Highway
Grass Valley, CA 95945
Phone: 530 274 2090
FAX: 530 274 2093
Web: www.irti.net
Email: info@irti.net
Innovative Rehabilitation Technology Inc (I.R.T.I.) has been in business since 1979 providing useful products and high tech systems for the blind and those with low vision. Our industry news magazine, the Technical Innovations Bulletin (T.I.B), is distributed on cassette and is available free of charge in the USA. The T.I.B. provides information on current technologies for disabled persons that can impact employment and personal lifestyle.
Talking book devices have been a primary focus for I.R.T.I since the mid 1980's. Our excitement about the enhancements to talking book technology enabled by the DAISY specification, lead to our becoming a Friend of the DAISY Consortium and the development of eClipseReader.
eClipseReader is a PC application for the daisy 2.02 format supporting Windows™ 98/ME/2000 and XP operating systems. EClipseReader's flexible user interface can be customized to suit the needs of sighted users preferring point and click graphic controls and the visually impaired through its self voicing hotkeys and menu system. In multi-user mode, eClipseReader is a great solution for schools and libraries. Individuals may login on a single computer and maintain their own library of books, text notes, bookmarks, and operational preferences. EClipseReader's price is $99.00 USD. Site and district licensing will be made available. For additional information about eClipseReader visit www.eclipsereader.com.
The Korea Braille Library has developed the KBLL Reader 1.0 (which is similar to Playback 2000) with the Sims Line, a software developing company in Korea.
KBLL Reader supports only audio and NCC DAISY books. The software is able to set book marking, control speed and volume, and allows the reader to move to chapter, page, or sentence. KBLL Reader can also search word and number (for instance page).
If you close the KBLL Reader to end reading, it automatically says the end page of reading. If a user uses KBLL Reader in a common place, like a library or school, this function is very useful. Because many users use KBLL Reader together, nobody set book marking.
We provide KBLL Reader to users, libraries and schools free of charge. Everybody can download KBLL Reader free of charge, at http://infor.kbll.or.kr/lib01001/maintext.php.
Now KBLL Reader supports only Korean, so we are considering supporting other languages. We also are considering having KBLL Reader 2.0 support audio and full text.
For more information, send email to youk@kbll.or.kr.
TPB Reader is a DAISY 2.0 and DAISY 2.02 compliant software player designed to be easy to learn even by those with little or no computer experience. Even though it is a user-friendly piece of software, it is powerful enough to satisfy more "advanced" users.
Feature highlights include:
TPB Reader is made available at no cost worldwide. However, TPB (The Swedish Library of Talking Books and Braille) does not give end user support outside Sweden.
TPB Reader works on Windows™ operating systems.
For more information and to download the software, visit www.daisy.org/tpbreader.
Benetech, the original nonprofit developer of Arkenstone reading systems, launched Bookshare.org in February 2002. Bookshare.org (www.bookshare.org) is a subscription-based service ($25 U.S. sign up; $50 U.S. annual) providing access to over eleven thousand electronic books to U.S. residents with visual impairments, reading disabilities, or mobility impairments. Members download scanned, copyrighted books in either the NISO/DAISY format, or grade 2 digital braille.
Using the Bookshare.org Edition of Victor Reader Soft from VisuAide that is provided with membership, books can be easily navigated and listened to with the software's built in text-to-speech. Books contain full text, but no pre-recorded audio. Other adaptive software, large print magnification, or refreshable braille displays can also be used for reading.
The Bookshare.org collection has something for all ages and reading interests and can be searched by anyone who visits the Web site. It continues to grow quickly thanks to members and volunteers who scan books and upload them. New best-sellers and other current or popular books can be made available soon after publication.
Embossed braille copies of books from the Bookshare.org collection can be ordered by members or non-members: www.bookshare.org/braille.
Visit the Web site at www.bookshare.org for more information or email info@bookshare.org.
Here is a handy list of DAISY Consortium Web site links and email addresses.
