Updates on Developments in Alternative E-text Creation and Production
E-texts are becoming more widely available for purchase or for rental and they are gaining a broader acceptance with the public. Simultaneously there is an increased quantity and quality of alternative electronic texts designed to provide superior access to their content for users with disabilities.
Recent advances in technology have resulted in new text formats increasing document accessibility for users with disabilities. One result is that the documents can be navigated and read more efficiently. New devices have been developed that can read these e-texts and use their more powerful navigation. Publishers are working more closely with alternative e-text creators especially with Federal legislation providing copyright exceptions for users with disabilities and also with newer and better document management tools to limit document pirating. Colleges, K-12 schools and non-profit organizations are rapidly increasing the number of available titles. Both Federal and state legislation support activities to make more e-texts available and make them available in a more timely fashion.
Ron Stewart from Dolphin and a technology consultant for AHEAD discusses 3 important initiatives taking place during late 2007.
Ron Stewart Webinar on 3 E-text Initiatives
NIMAS the (National Instructional Multimedia Accessibility Standards) is a special document format mandated for publishers to provide documents for use in K-12. CAST (Center on Accessible School Technology) and APH (American Printing House) have been identified by the Federal government to play the key role in helping publishers with the correct file format and in being a repository for these documents. K-12 students will be able through their schools to get accessible texts that meet a high quality standard. Representatives from CAST and APH describe this process.
The Federal government mandate for K-12 books Using NIMAS
DAISY is the new file format which is a standard for uniform and quality mark-up of e-texts. While DAISY books can come with varying levels of sophistication, it is becoming recognized as a world-wide standard. However, to take advantage of the exciting features in DAISY mark-up documents, there is a need for a special document player. Several of these are now coming on the market.
Robert Beach Discussing DAISY Software Players
Robert Beach Discussing DAISY Hardware Players
Bookshare is another rich resource of books created for people with print-related disabilities. Jim Fruchterman updates us on Bookshare and on the recent grant it received to enable it to expand its services.
Watch the Bookshare Presentation
The Library of Congress National Library Service which has provided books in special formats for print-related disabilities for over 70 years is also transitioning to digital audio books instead of the standard taped books. LLoyd RR discusses the current state of this move and maps how it will unfold during the coming year.
Watch the Presentation of the NLS Digital Book Project
