DAISY News Feed

Evaluation of portable media players published by AFB

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0600

The AFB September issue of AccessWorld is a product evaluation of digital audio players and new access technology. A number of DAISY players have been tested by a group of AFB TECH testers. The report and links to a quick comparison of each player's features are provided in AFB AccessWorld September 2008, Vol.9 Issue 5.

DAISY Planet Newsletter for September 2008 Now Available

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0600

The September issue of the DAISY Planet is now available on the DAISY Web site: September DAISY Planet. Please share the Planet with your associates and friends.

odt2dtbook receives the OpenOffice.org Community Innovation Program Gold Award

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0600

Sun Microsystems granted $1 Million to the Open Source Community Innovation Awards recipients as a part of its commitment to freely available open source technologies.These winners received recognition for outstanding contributions to the worldwide Open Solaris, OpenJDK, NetBeans, GlassFish, OpenOffice.org and OpenSPARC communities.

IDA CRPD Forum Submits Contribution to OHCHR thematic study on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0600

"The IDA CRPD Forum has been set up by the International Disability Alliance (IDA) to continue the work of the International Disability Caucus. The IDA CRPD Forum upholds the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) as the universal standard for the human rights of all persons with disabilities...The aim of the IDA CRPD Forum is to develop a strong unified voice from civil society led by disabled people's organisations, DPOs, in matters concerning the CRPD." Visit the IDA CRPD Forum Web site.

Hiroshi Kawamura, President of the DAISY Consortium has stated that this is one of the most important submissions from the disability community on the United Nations CRPD. Pages 35 to 38 will be of particular interest. Portions of relevant articles from the CRPD Treaty are quoted, including Article 2:
"'Communication' includes languages, display of text, Braille, tactile communication, large print, accessible multimedia as well as written, audio, plain-language, human-reader and augmentative and alternative modes, means and formats of communication, including accessible information and communication technology;"

and Article 9 (f) and (g):
"(f) Promote other appropriate forms of assistance and support to persons with disabilities to ensure their access to information;"
"(g) Promote access for persons with disabilities to new information and communications technologies and systems, including the Internet;"

The IDA CRPD Forum Submission to the United Nations Office High Commission on Human Rights (OHCHR) is available on the DAISY Web site.

DAISY Consortium Named a 2008 Tech Awards Laureate by The Tech Museum of Innovation

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0600

The DAISY Consortium is nominated for the 2008 Katherine M. Swanson Equality Award for developing AMIS software, which implements synthetic speech to make text and multi-media information available to people who have print disabilities such as visual impairments, cognitive or learning disabilities such as dyslexia, and people who are unable to hold a keyboard or printed publication. Details are provided in the DAISY Press Release.

Special Issue of ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing: Call for Papers

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0600

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has announced a call for papers for a Special Issue of ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS). This special issue will focus on aging and information technologies and will "explore specific opportunities and challenges and solutions for older adults and the increasing deployment of complex IT systems." Full details including paper topics and submission deadlines are provided on the ACM Web site.

CSUN 2009 - Call for Papers to be Announced

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0600

This is an advance notice that the Call for Papers for the 2009 CSUN (California State University, Northridge) Conference will be announced shortly. The Call for Papers will open August 25 and will close October 17. Please check the CSUN Web site for the announcement and further details.

DAISY Consortium President Hiroshi Kawamura Receives 2008 Dr. Dayton M. Forman Award

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0600

Mr. Hiroshi Kawamura, President of the DAISY Consortium, received the Dr. Dayton M. Forman Memorial Award from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB). The award recognizes Mr. Kawamura's work to ensure equitable information services for people with print disabilities throughout the world. Details are provided in the DAISY Press Release.

George Kerscher receives the 2008 Dr. Roland Wagner Award

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600

Kerscher accepted the award by teleconference to Linz, Austria during the ICCHP Conference on the evening of July 10. This is the third prestigious award presented to the DAISY Consortium in less than two months. All are in recognition of the Consortium's work in the development and promotion of international standards and technologies which enable equal access to information and knowledge by all people with print disabilities and which also benefit the wider community. Details are provided in the DAISY Press Release.

George Kerscher receives Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award from National Federation of the Blind

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600

Kerscher, DAISY Consortium Secretary General, has been named among the first recipients for the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award which recognizes individuals and organizations working in the field of blindness that have made outstanding contributions toward achieving the full and equitable integration of individuals who are blind into society. Full details are provided in the DAISY Consortium press release.