The South African National Council for the Blind (SANCB) has hailed a development project that will make it possible for computer users who are blind or print disabled to make better use of assistive technology in their daily lives.
The project, a joint initiative between Microsoft and the Digital Accessible Information Systems Consortium (DAISY), will make computer documents more accessible for visual and print-impaired users by creating a tool that allows Microsoft Word users to convert documents from the Open XML format to Daisy XML, a globally accepted accessible format, not yet widely used in SA.
Historically, individuals with these disabilities have accessed information using a assistive technologies such as screen magnifiers, large print, refreshable Braille, text-to-speech technology and other tools to attempt to manipulate document formats that, realistically, have been created with only sighted users in mind.
However, because these people cannot visually navigate complex page layouts, they often struggle to keep up with the demands of today's information-rich society. The investment of time and energy into the often complex conversion process has been the biggest challenge for visually impaired people.
"Together with the South African Library for the Blind, we look forward to engaging with Microsoft SA in testing this product," said Jill Wagner, National Executive Director of the South African National Council for the Blind (SANCB)
"Currently, the SA Library for the Blind produces a variety of accessible audio and Braille reading materials to approximately 6 500 visually impaired adults who are members of this library service. But there are hundreds more who might benefit from more accessible reading materials, including the visually impaired child at school and those at universities who require learning support materials in accessible formats."
The structure of DAISY XML documents enables quick navigation by heading or page number, and offers the ability for impaired users to access indexes and other references, all with synchronised audio and text. In addition to clear benefits for this community, the Open XML to DAISY XML translator also offers the potential for further innovation in the information-intensive markets of publishing, training and education.
"If publishers and suppliers of reading materials and documents all use the plug-in to produce their end products, this will certainly facilitate easier access for the visually impaired person wanting to access information in the digital DAISY format," says Wagner.
"In our information age, access to information is a fundamental human right," said Microsoft SA's Platform Strategy Manager, Paulo Ferreira. "This is why leading organisations for the blind throughout the world are committed to the advancement of the DAISY Standard. The ability to create DAISY content from millions of Open XML-based documents using this translator for Microsoft Office Word will offer substantial and immediate benefits to publishers, governments, corporations, educators and, most important, to everyone who loves to read."
The Open XML to DAISY XML translator for Microsoft Office Word will begin the translation of Open XML-based content into an enriched multimedia format accessible to users around the world, regardless of the degree of their visual impairments. If publishers and suppliers of reading materials use the plug-in software, this will facilitate easier access for the visually impaired person wishing to access information.
Open XML adoption continues to expand across the software industry for use on various platforms that include Linux, Windows, Mac OS and the Palm OS. Solution providers interested in creating their own Open XML to DAISY XML translators may find the project on SourceForge at http://sourceforge.net/projects/openxml-daisy.
The resulting "Save As DAISY" plug-in will be available as a free download for Microsoft Office Word (Word XP, Word 2003 and Word 2007) customers in early 2008.
Perspectives from members of the print-disabled community about this news are available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2007/nov07/11-13daisy.mspx.
More information about Microsoft's accessibility solutions is available at http://www.microsoft.com/enable.
More information about the Ecma Office Open XML open standard document format specification is available at http://www.openxmldeveloper.org and http://www.openxmlcommunity.org.
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