Presentation:Moving Forward with Accessible Multimedia

Markku Hakkinen
DAISY

Introduction

DAISY has dramatically changed the way the visually impaired access the printed word.

This has come about from both utilization of advanced, open standards for creating accessible content, and innovative ways for people to interact with that content.

New devices, such as mobile phones and personal digital assistants that support SMIL, offer the potential of offering accessible information in new contexts and at points of real time need.

From our initial focus on books, we now look forward to applying the DAISY model to rich multimedia content using SMIL

Some examples:

Sign-Language inclusion in Talking Books

DAISY publication can be augmented to include not only textual and audio renderings of books, but also a sign-language track, allowing the Deaf to utilize DAISY publications.

Informational Materials

Persons with learning or cognitive disabilities may not be able to utilize basic information provided for health awareness or social services. Publications can include text, images, audio, and video sequences, allowing clear and easy to follow information presentation.

Multimedia Text Books

Mainstream text books now frequently include video demonstrations on a separate CDROM. These demonstrations are generally not accessible. A DAISY version of a text book can include the full text and audio, with “in-line” inclusion of video segments. The video segments themselves, when produced according to best practice for accessible video, would include text captions, descriptive audio and text, and sign-language captioning.

Training Materials

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has produced printed training materials to educate disabled persons in developing countries on how to grow crops and become financially self-supporting. Fully accessible versions of these training guides can be created, showing clearly procedures and techniques needed to be successful. 

Information Access for Illiterate Populations

Poorly educated or displaced populations are often challenged by not being able to communicate either in the dominant spoken or written language that surrounds them. This can exclude large numbers of people from critical information that they need, including health care, government services, and disaster preparedness. Government agencies and NGOs can produce and provide multi-lingual accessible information using combinations of video, audio, and text so that critical information is available to all members of a population.

Multimedia Publications

Authors, particularly of scholarly works, can explore accessible presentation models not previously possible. For example, a scholar of Shakespeare may create a work, that ties together a critical analysis of cinematic and theatrical interpretations of a given Shakespeare play. Such a production would include synchronization of parallel video and audio streams, along with scripts and authors narrative.

Accessible Cinema

Documentaries or films may now be produced with the features of a DAISY book. The full video, descriptive audio track, annotated script, multiple language tracks, and sign language can be included in a production. This would all be augmented with full navigation of the presentation, and the ability to easily select which elements of the presentation are to be viewed and reviewed.

Conclusion

We live in a rich world of information

Making that information available to all members of society is a goal that we can achieve

The success of DAISY should now extend beyond the book.
Lexicon
DAISY: Digital Accessible Information System
SMIL (pr. smile): Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language
NGO: Non-Govermental Organization