Papers

Presented at the DAISY Symposium in Tokyo.

Traditionally, libraries serving persons who are blind or print disabled have had to create accessible, specially formatted materials and distribute these products to their patrons. As new technologies evolve, there is the vision of a time when materials published for the mainstream can be made accessible to persons with disabilities at the same time and at no greater cost than the versions targeted for the mainstream consumer.

This document represents a working draft of projects and action items related to the development of a global library.

This document outlines the Principles to be considered in the development of a global library.

Much of the work of creating effective public policy in the technology arena is accomplished with the help of nationally and internationally recognized standards. The Digital Accessible Information SYstem (DAISY) is a standard that is recognized worldwide as an ideal approach to making content accessible to all. Publishers' collaboration is critical so that consumers, including those with print disabilities, can begin to experience the full benefits of the multimedia standard which was created with universal Design in mind. Published content, encoded in semantically rich XML, is the essential ingredient used to transform information into a multimedia product offering multi-sensory access to text, images, and sound. As publishers make the transition to XML-centric publishing processes, we should work together to ensure that access to information is a by-product that will easily and cost effectively be achieved in the new era of publishing.

Published works contain a wealth of information that has historically been difficult or impossible to access for individuals unable to read standard print. Now, organizations that are committed to information access for everyone and are working with publishers can effectively utilize the publisher's XML source files. These source files, in conjunction with the flexibility of the DAISY standard, enable an extraordinary level of access to both the printed word and emerging multimedia technologies that has never before been possible.

The concept of an international copyright exception similar to that proposed by the WBU for the WIPO meeting in November 2008, and the concept of a set of relationships between publishers and trusted libraries and organizations whose mission is to serve persons with disabilities are in perfect harmony. This short white paper will attempt to lay out the rationale and bring those that see these concepts as opposing together.

Access to information is a right of all human beings. Technology remains capable of greatly improving condition of those who, for several reasons, can not read and "understand" a piece of information, have access to information and take part in the professional and social life. Standardization is key.

DAISY XML, called NIMAS in the USA, is the precious raw material needed to create accessible books and educational content. How does one take a lump of gold and produce fine jewelry? The master craftsmen from the DAISY Consortium's free open-source community will bring forward tools that can turn your NIMAS files into the best educational materials available.

Given a NIMAS file set from the NIMAC, what can be produced auto-magically? Given a Microsoft Word document created by a teacher, what can be instantly made available? Given a complete DAISY Digital Talking Book, what can I use to read it? How does open-source software help the commercial developer? Strategies, current tools, and future developments will be explained.