[vicsireland] Converting WORD Documents to DAISY Format

From: "Gerry Ellis" <gerry.ellis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Irish Design-for-all and e-Accessibility Network" <irl-dean@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 27 May 2008 20:47:21 +0100
Hi,

This is from the following Microsoft web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/may08/05-07SaveAsDAISYPR.mspx


Microsoft, DAISY Make Reading Easier for People With Print Disabilities
Using Office Open XML files, users of Microsoft Office Word can now produce
content in the world's most widely used assistive technology format.

REDMOND, Wash. - May 7, 2008 - Microsoft Corp. today joined with industry
and advocacy group leaders worldwide to launch new software that will make
it
easier for anyone to create documents and content that will be accessible
for blind and print-disabled individuals. The new "Save as DAISY XML"
add-in,
designed for Microsoft Office Word 2007, Word 2003 and Word XP, will allow
users to save Open XML-based text files into DAISY XML, the foundation of
the
globally accepted DAISY Standard for reading and publishing navigable
multimedia content (
http://www.daisy.org).

The "Save as DAISY XML" add-in was created through an open source project
with Microsoft, Sonata Software Ltd. and the Digital Accessible Information
SYstem
(DAISY) Consortium and can be downloaded by Microsoft Office Word users for
free at
http://www.openxmlcommunity.org/daisy.

Also released today is the newest version of the DAISY Pipeline, a free
downloadable transformation suite that supports the seamless conversion of
DAISY
XML into DAISY Digital Talking Book (DTB) format. Together these
technologies provide a comprehensive solution for converting text documents
into accessible
formats for people with print disabilities. Users can download the DAISY
Pipeline from the DAISY Project page at
http://www.daisy.org/projects/pipeline/
. Information about other technologies that can convert DAISY XML into DAISY
DTB format and other products that support the DAISY standard is available
on the DAISY Web site at
http://www.daisy.org/tools/index.shtml.

Groups such as the World Health Organization and the World Blind Union
estimate that more than 160 million people throughout the world are either
blind
or have a significant impairment to their vision. This number does not even
begin to address the additional hundreds of millions of people with
physical,
developmental, or learning disabilities who can benefit from the rich
applications of DAISY.

Global access to the "Save as DAISY XML" add-in for Microsoft Office Word is
an important step forward for people with print disabilities around the
world,
including those in developing countries, because it will support access to
information contained within billions of Microsoft Office Word documents,
helping
them to lead more independent and productive lives.

"This new 'Save as DAISY XML' functionality for Microsoft Word has the
potential to break down barriers for millions of visually impaired
individuals around
the world and enhance the experience for virtually anyone who loves to
read," said Chris Capossela, senior vice president of the Information
Worker Product
Management Group at Microsoft. "We are proud of our collaboration with the
DAISY Consortium and Sonata Software to deliver valuable benefits for people
with a visual impairment. This tool will make it easier for anyone - from a
child writing to his or her grandparent, to a government agency providing
vital
information to its citizens - to create accessible content."

"Microsoft's initiative to put 'Save as DAISY XML' in Microsoft Word is the
first step to bring fully accessible content to people who are blind or who
have a print disability. We know that much of the information in documents
today is created with Microsoft Word; this new add-in provides an
unprecedented
leap forward in the worldwide effort to make information available to all,"
said George Kerscher, secretary general of the DAISY Consortium.

"As an advocate of technologies that help blind and low-vision individuals,
and as chair of an organization managing a digital library based on DAISY
XML
formats, I can attest that this 'Save as DAISY XML' plug-in for Microsoft
Office Word is a landmark development," said Dominique Burger of BrailleNet.
"The ability to generate DAISY XML content from within an application used
by millions of people around the world is welcome news for all who have been
pushing for such a broad-reaching solution."

This new tool also presents the opportunity for organizations and
independent software vendors to consider ways in which the technology may be
employed
to meet the needs of those not yet served by text-only or audio-only
formats. Corporations such as insurance agencies, healthcare providers and
companies
that publish training manuals require a method to deliver fully accessible
documents to their customers and employees with different needs. For these
organizations,
the "Save as DAISY XML" add-in is the breakthrough they have been waiting
for.

"Because it's part of a familiar tool, this plug-in for Microsoft Office
Word significantly reduces the friction for content creators in producing
accessible
digital material," said Andrew Savikas, director of publishing technology at
O'Reilly Media Inc. "Support for DAISY, along with the emerging ePub
standard,
is an easy way for software makers to build accessibility into their
products, and I hope to see others follow suit."

"Technologies that address the specific challenges that universities and
public institutions face in providing books and publications for those who
cannot
read standard print are in great demand," said Sam Ogami, assistive
technology expert for the California State University Office of the
Chancellor. "Functionality
like the new 'Save as DAISY XML' feature within Microsoft Office Word could
greatly streamline the production - and reduce the expense - of delivering
powerful and accessible content to those who need it."

"Libraries today are often ill-equipped to provide content for people with
print disabilities, and the methods they have at their disposal are
antiquated,"
said Helen Brazier, a member of the International Federation of Library
Associations (IFLA). "But things are beginning to change, and
state-of-the-art
technology like the 'Save as DAISY XML' add-in and the new DAISY Pipeline
are making it easy and cost-effective for libraries to essentially level the
information playing field for people with disabilities and do things they
never before could have imagined."

The open source nature of the Open XML to DAISY XML translation project
enables technologists to utilize the source code and other resources for
their own
applications. As Open XML adoption continues to expand across the software
industry for use on various platforms, including Linux, Windows, Mac OS and
the Palm OS, solution providers interested in creating their own Open XML to
DAISY XML translators can reference information available through the
SourceForge
open source project site at
http://sourceforge.net/projects/openxml-daisy.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize
their full
potential.



Take care,

Gerry Ellis
t/a Feel The BenefIT

Tel   +353-(0)1 282-7791
Mob   +353-(0)85 716-8665
Email gerry.ellis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

If you don't know where you're going,
How will you know when you get there?


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[vicsireland] Converting WORD Documents to DAISY Format

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