As per the terms of this collaboration, the companies will produce a free, downloadable plug-in that would translate documents based on Open XML into DAISY XML format. The DAISY XML file can then be processed to produce digital audio and other formats. The format is structured to help the blind navigate text via page numbers and headings and use indexes and references that are embedded into documents.
In a similar move, Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&DR) collaborated with the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) to launch educator support website at learningthroughlistening.org. The free service, Learning Through Listening, assists all educators seeking to integrate listening skills into their classrooms. RFB&DR is the US educational audiobook library for students of all ages who cannot read standard print effectively because of a learning disability, visual impairment or other physical disability.
According to Reuters, Jeff Raikes, president at the Microsoft business division said: 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.
Open XML adoption continues to expand across the software industry for use on various platforms, including Linux, Windows, Mac OS and the Palm OS, and Microsoft is campaigning for its Open XML document format to be approved as an international standard.
The non-profit Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) consortium was formed in 1996 by talking-book libraries to transition the analogue books into digital talking format. The consortium has adopted open standards based on internet file formats. Its members include the US National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, the Spanish National Organization of the Blind, and the Korean Braille Library. According to Microsoft, the number of blind seniors in the US alone is projected to increase to 2.4 million, a 50% increase between 2015 and 2030.
Source: ComputerWire daily updates
