THE MOST WIDELY ADOPTED ACCESS READING TECHNOLOGY IN HISTORY Presenters: Lynn Leith lynn.leith@gmail.com 905 304-9398 196 Fallingbrook Dr. Ancaster, Ontario Canada, L9G 1E6 George Kerscher kerscher@montana.com 406 549,4687 1203 Pineview Dr. Missoula, MT 59802 Proposal Summary: DAISY is the BEST way to read and the BEST way to publish. DAISY technology is more widespread than any other access technology used for reading. The standard has been adopted around the globe. It is more than twice as popular as screen readers. There are approximately 100,000 screen readers, and well over 200,000 DAISY reading systems (players) in the world. This presentation will explain what DAISY is and why is it has been embraced by so many worldwide. We will clearly outline the benefits of DAISY to those who use accessible reading materials. DAISY Consortium Vision Our vision is that all published information, at time of release to the general population, be available in an accessible, highly functional, feature rich format and at no greater cost, to persons with print disabilities. Mission Our mission is to develop, integrate and promote international DAISY standards, technologies and implementation strategies to enable global access by people with print disabilities to information provided by mainstream publishers, governments, and libraries in a way which will also be of benefit to the wider community. New Terms * DC * DTB * Structure * Hierarchy * Reading Systems * Navigation * Global navigation * Local navigation * Synchronize * Linear DAISY is the Best Way to Read and the Best Way to Publish Analogue is Not Enough For decades the audio cassette (and before that the vinyl record) were the only way people unable to read print could access information. But for anything other than reading a book from one end to the other, these analogue formats were simply inadequate. Now there is a better way... Analogue Tape VS DAISY Reading taped books was linear and extremely inefficient. Access to points in the book, awkwardness of the cassette medium, sound quality plus numerous other issues made it clear that producers had to begin producing digital books. A DAISY book allows the reader to move through the book and to specific points within the book quickly and easily. This is called "navigation". The DAISY Concept The original concept for DAISY came from the need for accessible audio that could be used by people who could not read print, as easily and efficiently as a sighted person reads a print book. "A" was for "Audio" In the beginning, in the early 1990's, the "A" in "DAISY" represented the word "Audio". Much has happened since then, taking DAISY far beyond simple digital audio, and making DAISY truly "a Better Way to Read". More Than Audio However, a digitally produced talking book in and of itself would not resolve all of the issues, particularly the issues of accessibility and navigation from point to point within the book. Beyond Accessible During the development process it was determined that for DAISY to be a truly international standard it must go even beyond accessible "audio" and facilitate the production of multiple accessible formats, including braille. Why Not Audio Books in MP3 Format? Some producers of accessible educational and general reading materials have asserted that audio books in mp3 format are accessible and meet the needs of the people for whom they provide services. But... MP3 ... Cannot go to a specific point within a file Cannot go to a specific page unless each page is an mp3 file No content search functions Easy linear movement through the book by headings - but it's not meaningful Exactly What is DAISY? ...an Acronym DAISY is an acronym for: * Digital * Accessible * Information * SYstem A DAISY Book is: Digital (D) The combination of digital files that make up a DAISY book must conform to the standard. Accessible (A) DAISY was designed to be accessible, from the bottom up. At a very early point in the development of the DAISY standard, talking book readers from many countries were consulted regarding their reading requirements and their vision of a fully accessible audio book. Information (I) "In the Information Age, access to information is a fundamental human right." from George Kerscher's presentation to the United Nations, Bangkok 2002 SYstem (SY) DAISY, because it is accessible, because it meets the information and reading needs of those who cannot read print, has become an international system based on an internationally adopted and implemented standard. DAISY is an open non-proprietary international standard. A Book or a Multimedia Reading Experience? The international DAISY Standard, wherever possible, is based on existing standards. Files which may be included in a DAISY book are: * XHTML or XML * Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) * Audio files * Images * MathML * Video (under development) * SMIL It is SMIL (W3C-recommended XML markup language for describing multimedia presentations) which currently provides the multimedia support for DAISY; it is SMIL that links the elements of the book and which provides the navigation, making DAISY "the Best Way to Read". It's the key to DAISY DTBs. In summary... DAISY is: * Accessible for individuals unable to read standard print * Navigable, allowing the reader to move from heading to heading, page to page, paragraph to paragraph, phrase to phrase and/or potentially word to word * Navigable, providing direct access to specific points such as pages * Text and Audio A DAISY book is made up of a combination of files including marked up text and audio in several combinations. It may be searchable, depending upon the type of DAISY book and the reading system being used. A DAISY book always adheres to the DAISY standards and is "valid" to the standard. A Variety of DAISY Books There are 3 basic types of DAISY books: * Structure and Audio * Full text and Audio * Text only The "Richest" of DAISY Books Some organizations are producing books which contain the full text component of the original print publication, but at present this requires considerable additional resources and time in the production process. Such a book, full marked up text and audio, is the 'richest' DAISY digital talking book. As technology advances, the opportunities for production and provision of the 'ultimate' DAISY book increase. Central concepts: structure and navigation How do you use a reference book, a "how to" book, a cook book... From cover to cover, or do you go to a specific point in the book to read the portion that is of interest or will provide you with the information you require? Do you read each page or move from page to page? Structure is two-dimensional: * hierarchical * sequential Navigation Navigation in a DAISY Digital Talking Book is defined in two ways, global navigation and local navigation. Global Navigation ...is movement to a specific point or portion of a book, for example a chapter, part, page, or, the index. Local Navigation ... is movement within a single text element such as a list or table, or within a narrow range of text elements such as a group of words, sentences or paragraphs. The analogy to reading a print book would be "skimming". One Button to Press: "...a Better Way to Read "Navigation", "structure", "meaningful and useful way to access information", these and other terms which describe the enriched DAISY reading experience all seem to be geared toward advanced or educational reading requirements. However, DAISY Digital Talking Books and reading systems accommodate both the advanced reader's needs as well as those who need a very, very simple way to read. Advanced Functions On the other side of "One Button to Press", some of the more advanced functions of DAISY DTBs and Reading Systems include: * bookmarking * word searching * "go to page functions" * speed up and slow down of audio with no distortion of the sound. Information will be Accessible At the present time most books in DAISY format are produced by libraries serving those unable to read print, and some are available on loan through these libraries around the world. A "global library" which will provide access to DAISY books produced around the world is needed. DAISY Working Towards the Global Library DAISY, IFLA LBS, and the WBU are engaging with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), primarily with the leadership of David Mann from RNIB. We have seen draft documents from WIPO that encourage national copyright exceptions which would allow international exchange of accessible reading materials.