DAISY News Feed

DAISY Welcomes Novosibirsk Special Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired as an Associate Member of the Consortium

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The Novosibirsk Special Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired (NRSL) is now a recognized leader and coordinator of accessible library services in Siberia, Russia. Additional information about The Novosibirsk Special Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired is available in the list of DAISY Members and Friends.

DAISY Welcomes VoiceCorp as a Friend of the Consortium

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0600

VoiceCorp AB provides start-of-the-art products and services to speech enable web-based content and other digital documents. One of the products is called the DAISY Generator. VoiceCorp is a company group founded by Phoneticom (a long time Friend of the DAISY Consortium) and entrepreneurs from the ReadSpeaker organisation. Additional information is provided in the VoiceCorp entry in the list of DAISY Members and Friends.

Version 1.1 of MathML in DAISY Modular Extension Released

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0600

A minor update (Version 1.1) of the MathML in DAISY Specification has been officially released. This revision fixes minor errors and some language inconsistencies. The samples have also been updated.

The working group will hold conference calls on an as-needed basis to address issues and enhanced documentation which is maintained in the MathML in DAISY Project Area.

Evaluation of portable media players published by AFB

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0600

The AFB September issue of AccessWorld is a product evaluation of digital audio players and new access technology. A number of DAISY players have been tested by a group of AFB TECH testers. The report and links to a quick comparison of each player's features are provided in AFB AccessWorld September 2008, Vol.9 Issue 5.

odt2dtbook receives the OpenOffice.org Community Innovation Program Gold Award

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0600

Sun Microsystems granted $1 Million to the Open Source Community Innovation Awards recipients as a part of its commitment to freely available open source technologies.These winners received recognition for outstanding contributions to the worldwide Open Solaris, OpenJDK, NetBeans, GlassFish, OpenOffice.org and OpenSPARC communities.

DAISY Welcomes Code Factory as a Friend of the Consortium

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0600

Code Factory develops software tools for PDAs and cell phones targeted to individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Please read the Code Factory, S.L. entry in the list of DAISY Members and Friends for additional information.

IDA CRPD Forum Submits Contribution to OHCHR thematic study on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0600

"The IDA CRPD Forum has been set up by the International Disability Alliance (IDA) to continue the work of the International Disability Caucus. The IDA CRPD Forum upholds the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) as the universal standard for the human rights of all persons with disabilities...The aim of the IDA CRPD Forum is to develop a strong unified voice from civil society led by disabled people's organisations, DPOs, in matters concerning the CRPD." Visit the IDA CRPD Forum Web site.

Hiroshi Kawamura, President of the DAISY Consortium has stated that this is one of the most important submissions from the disability community on the United Nations CRPD. Pages 35 to 38 will be of particular interest. Portions of relevant articles from the CRPD Treaty are quoted, including Article 2:
"'Communication' includes languages, display of text, Braille, tactile communication, large print, accessible multimedia as well as written, audio, plain-language, human-reader and augmentative and alternative modes, means and formats of communication, including accessible information and communication technology;"

and Article 9 (f) and (g):
"(f) Promote other appropriate forms of assistance and support to persons with disabilities to ensure their access to information;"
"(g) Promote access for persons with disabilities to new information and communications technologies and systems, including the Internet;"

The IDA CRPD Forum Submission to the United Nations Office High Commission on Human Rights (OHCHR) is available on the DAISY Web site.

DAISY Consortium Named a 2008 Tech Awards Laureate by The Tech Museum of Innovation

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0600

The DAISY Consortium is nominated for the 2008 Katherine M. Swanson Equality Award for developing AMIS software, which implements synthetic speech to make text and multi-media information available to people who have print disabilities such as visual impairments, cognitive or learning disabilities such as dyslexia, and people who are unable to hold a keyboard or printed publication. Details are provided in the DAISY Press Release.

Special Issue of ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing: Call for Papers

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0600

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has announced a call for papers for a Special Issue of ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS). This special issue will focus on aging and information technologies and will "explore specific opportunities and challenges and solutions for older adults and the increasing deployment of complex IT systems." Full details including paper topics and submission deadlines are provided on the ACM Web site.

NLS - Library of Congress - Prepares for DAISY Services

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0600

In addition to the contract for digital talking book (DAISY) players which was awarded to Shinano Kenshi/Plextor (see From DAISY Prototype to the Largest DTB Player Contract Ever Awarded in the August DAISY Planet) NLS has awarded a contract for Digital Talking Book cartridge mailing containers, and for training for the staff of 128 libraries serving blind and physically handicapped readers throughout the U.S and its territories (see NLS FLASH for additional details ). A further contract for the manufacture of audio flash cartridges has been announced. The contract with Northstar Systems Inc. is for both 512 MB and 1 GB cartridges, with initial contract funding of more than $6.2 million US.