2025: Member Spotlight
Around the world DAISY Members have been actively serving their communities and developing new resources. We are delighted to include a few of their stories from 2025.
Acapela Group, Belgium
In 2025, Acapela Group continued to strengthen its commitment to accessible and inclusive communication, with a strong focus on blind and low-vision communities. Our solutions (TTS) were further enhanced to deliver more natural, expressive, and multilingual voices (SDKs v14 September 2025).
Many new voices were released through the year in multiple languages: English (UK), Italian, North American Spanish, Portuguese, Faroese.
We expanded collaborations with partners and accessibility advocates to improve inclusiveness. Our voices powered a growing number of screen readers, reading tools, and educational solutions worldwide through different partnership including the one with NVDA (Acapela TTS for NVDA v1.9.4 June 2025).
At the same time, we advanced our “My-Own-Voice” service, reinforcing our mission of preserving voice identity with privacy-first, offline capabilities, ensuring that inclusive technology remains ethical, secure, and user-controlled.
Together, these efforts empower users to access information independently and engage more fully with the world.
https://www.acapela-group.com/
American Printing House for the Blind (APH), USA
APH is a mission focused organization with a vision of making the world accessible and providing opportunity for everyone.
One aspect of our work has been The Dot Experience, a groundbreaking museum set to launch in 2026 that blends attraction, factory tour, and center for learning into a fully immersive environment. It is the first museum designed entirely around accessibility, shaped by people who are blind, low vision, DeafBlind, or have other disabilities. Visitors engage with exhibits through braille, tactile graphics, American Sign Language, visual descriptions, and more. No glass barriers, no off-limits objects, just immersive, hands-on discovery for everyone.
The museum highlights the human experience of blindness through powerful artifacts and stories, including Helen Keller’s writing desk, a piano played by Stevie Wonder, the first guide dog harness, and a rare 1829 book by Louis Braille. With exhibits tracing the evolution of braille and tactile learning from its origins to modern digital tools, and allowing interaction with braillewriters and talking books while exploring how innovation has expanded independence.
https://www.aph.org/
Benetech, USA
Benetech reached three major milestones in 2025. The Bookshare collection has grown past 1.4MM titles most of which are available in multiple formats. The collection grows by over 80,000 titles a year mostly via publisher donations. Bookshare member downloads passed the 35MM mark. A growing percentage of those downloads are in EPUB. The Globally Certified Accessible suite of services have helped over 100 organizations around the world. Benetech is also working on new technology with the Bookshare+ product.
https://benetech.org/
Boin Information Technologies, Inc., Republic of Korea
BOIN is a company conducting research on digital accessibility. In collaboration with the National Library for the Disabled, we have worked on a project that aims to produce books readable for people with developmental disabilities commonly referred to as “Easy-to-Read” books.
This project incorporates AI technology designed to generate Easy-to-Read content in accordance with the international standard ISO 24495-1. BOIN’s AI solution produces Easy-to-Read materials through the following process:
- Analyzing the core meaning of the original text and restructuring it
- Converting complex sentences and difficult vocabulary into clear and intuitive ones
- Conducting automated quality review of the production
Through this process, BOIN helps improve information accessibility for individuals with developmental disabilities.
Caption: Illustration of AI converting complex original text into an easy-to-read version
The Easy-to-Read Solution Service is available to try online.
https://www.boinit.com/
Croatian Library for the Blind (CLB) / Hrvatska knjižnica za slijepe (HKZASL), Croatia
In 2025 Croatian Library for the Blind (CLB) celebrated its 60th anniversary which was marked with the central ceremony and accompanied with other smaller events all year around. Traditional events like Braille reading contest, Knowledge quiz, Short story contest and the Award for the achievements in the domain of culture, education, advocacy and literacy for blind persons were part of last year’s programs as well. Each year the cooperation with other institutions and NGO’s working in the field of production of accessible formats is stronger and resulting in bigger collection of titles for print disabled users. CLB will also remember this year for launching the first audio comic book, made to enhance the accessibility of materials needed for the National quiz for the promotion of reading. Another project that started was the digitalization of music sheets in Braille with the focus on the works by Croatian composers.
http://www.hkzasl.hr
DAISY Consortium Canada
In 2025, DAISY Consortium Canada (DCC) was established, bringing together five organisations serving people with print disabilities: NNELS, CELA, BAnQ, CAER, and CFLA. The DCC serves as a unified Canadian voice within the global DAISY community, providing a national forum to coordinate collaboration, share expertise, and contribute to international accessibility standards.
DCC Members worked jointly on initiatives including production of Indigenous language content, text-audio synchronization, and federal advocacy to protect equitable reading services such as free postage for the blind. The DCC also collaborated with national partners to deliver World Braille Day 2026, including a bilingual braille programming toolkit for public libraries. DCC Members were among the contributors to Accessible Content: A Guide to the Canadian Copyright Act on Searching for Accessible Formats and Producing and Distributing Alternate Formats. The guide provides a clear, practical overview of copyright law governing access to materials for people with print disabilities in Canada.
https://daisy.org/about-us/membership/full-members/daisy-consortium-canada/
DAISY Forum of India
The DAISY Forum of India primary member National Association for the Blind (NAB Delhi) has developed an innovative Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Library to ensure equitable access to literature for persons with print disabilities. This initiative addresses long-standing barriers faced by individuals who are blind, have low vision, or are otherwise unable to read standard printed material. Through a simple phone call, users can access a wide range of literary content including books, educational materials, and informational resources in an audio format. The IVR system has been designed to be user-friendly and accessible, enabling individuals across socio-economic backgrounds, including those without smartphones or internet access, to benefit from its services.
Caption: promotional image for Shravan interactive voice response audio library.
This service is being widely propagated by NAB Delhi across India and has witnessed significant outreach and impact, with over 64,000 registered users benefiting from the platform. The IVR Library represents a major step toward inclusive knowledge dissemination, aligning with the principles of accessibility and universal design.
https://daisyindia.org/
DAISY France
The year 2025 was a great year to celebrate Braille in France and all over the world, as it marked the 200th anniversary of its invention.
A three-day event took place in France from 13 to 15 November, organized by three members of DAISY France: the Fédération des Aveugles de France, the Association Valentin Haüy, and INJA.
On the first day, the French National Library hosted the symposium “Braille Writing: A Revolution Still in Motion!”. Three main topics were discussed: Braille and education, employment and the use of Braille in professional life, and reading Braille in the digital age. The closing session focused on the universality of Braille, with a speech by the Fundação Dorina Nowill para Cegos and a presentation on Braille’s inscription on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
2025 also marked the entry into application of the European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) on 28 June 2025. The DAISY France group is dedicated to supporting this shift in digital accessibility, helping digital reading platforms move toward genuine inclusivity and providing fairer access to books and knowledge.
https://daisy.org/about-us/membership/full-members/daisy-france/
Dedicon, the Netherlands
The Tactile Reading & Graphics Conference was an overwhelming success. Knowledge of braille and tactile reading is scarce, and the market is small. This makes international collaboration essential for innovation. Driven by this conviction, Dedicon organised the Tactile Reading & Graphics Conference 2025 together with Dutch knowledge partners at the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam.
Caption: photo from the Tactile Reading 2025 conference
The conference was fully booked, with 532 participants from 39 countries. Over three days, education professionals, designers, people with lived experience and accessibility experts immersed themselves in tactile reading and graphic accessibility. The programme featured keynotes, presentations, workshops and interactive sessions, and resulted in new insights, collaborations and projects.
The conference was opened by Princess Laurentien, who highlighted the importance of accessible information as a prerequisite for full participation in society. The enthusiastic responses from participants confirmed the power of knowledge sharing and working together on inclusive reading solutions.
https://www.dedicon.nl/
Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind, Brazil
Throughout 2025, Fundação Dorina Nowill for the Blind strengthened its commitment to promoting the social inclusion of people who are blind or have low vision, expanding access to education, culture, and autonomy through specialized services and accessibility solutions.
During this period, 2,215 individuals received habilitation and rehabilitation services aimed at fostering independence and full social participation, totaling 39,427 services provided.
The Foundation also expanded access to reading and information, with 3,000 downloads on the Dorinateca platform and 5,792 titles available. Additionally, 3,351 people were reached through the Employability Program, and 1,221 institutions were registered to receive accessible materials.
Another key highlight was braille production, with 11 million pages transcribed and printed, reinforcing the Foundation’s role as a national reference in braille production capacity in Brazil.
The Foundation also advanced its technology pillar, enhancing, developing and integrating artificial intelligence into its processes and services.
https://fundacaodorina.org.br/
Elsevier, UK
In 2025 Elsevier made a number of accessibility related improvements across the business including: rolling out alt-text and accessibility metadata to all our frontlist eBooks sold in Europe, along with the associated videos and ancillary materials. Remediating over 8,500 backlist books and set up an ‘on request’ service for the remainder. Implementing PDF tagging for our frontlist books and journals. Brought over 50 Elsevier apps and eBook formats into EAA readiness by the June 2025 deadline. Conducted validation of our new accessibility features with end users and implemented their recommendations. Launched a public repository of 90 VPATs/ACRs and product accessibility statements. Launched a formal, measurable process for integrating accessibility into UX design and software testing phases. Recertified our Benetech Globally Certified Accessible for Elsevier ePUB books. Expanded our accessibility training, including for our Sales, Legal, and Customer support teams.
https://www.elsevier.com/
Fênix Editorial, Brazil
In 2025, Fênix, through its publishing house Bennu, continued to expand accessible publishing in Brazil. We produced 100 Braille copies of the book “Saber comer e Brasília conhecer” (Knowing How to Eat and Getting to Know Brasília) by Paloma Gastal for free distribution.
As part of the PNLD (National Program for Books and Teaching Materials), we developed five accessible titles in HTML5 for the PNLD Equidade 2025 edition, which is currently under review. They will be distributed in accessible ePub format to form the collection for elementary and secondary schools, Youth and Adult Education (EJA) schools, and public and community libraries:
- Água rasa;
- Passarinho de gaiola também sabe voar;
- Bolorie; Sonhos ancestrais;
- Dom Queijada.
These works join our catalogue of accessible publications for the PNLD from previous years, reinforcing our commitment to inclusive educational materials for students with disabilities in Brazil.
https://fenixeditorial.com.br/
Fondazione LIA, Italy
With the entry into force of the EAA, LIA continued to support the publishing sector to meet accessibility requirements, through training, consultancy, international projects and the development of solutions and workflows based on the “Born Accessible” approach.
The APACE project, coordinated by LIA, received the prestigious ABC International Excellence Award for Accessible Publishing in the “Initiatives” category. Within the project, LIA organized 55 international events involving around 5,000 professionals worldwide, including webinars, in-person seminars, awareness-raising initiatives, and the first European Accessibility Summer School.
LIA also designed an innovative user-friendly visualization system for accessibility metadata to foster common standards for communicating digital accessibility. Its Catalogue, featuring now over 40.000 e-books, is the first catalogue world-wide compliant with the W3C Accessibility Metadata Display Guide: each title displays clear and intuitive accessibility information using the LIA icons system. LIA continued leading W3C working groups and providing consultancy to Adobe for the implementation of new InDesign accessibility features.
www.fondazionelia.org
Humanware, Canada
In 2025, Humanware launched the Stratus 2 in a few markets in Europe, ahead of the full launch in 2026. The Stratus 2 builds on many years of experience in developing DAISY format readers to deliver access to modern online library services.
Caption: The Stratus 2 from Humanware
Humanware also released two updated versions of the Stream 3 software (1.4 and 1.5), and new versions of our Braille readers (2.4 and 2.5). Version 2.5 added support for audio through Bluetooth in the Mantis.
https://www.humanware.com/
National Library for the Disabled, Republic of Korea
On June 7, 2025, the National Library for the Disabled established the PDF Accessibility Guidelines – Part 1: Authoring Guidelines (TTAK.KO-11.0340) in order to promote and ensure the accessibility and usability of PDF files for digitally vulnerable groups. The guidelines were subsequently published as a group standard by the Korea Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA).
The PDF Accessibility Guidelines – Part 1: Authoring Guidelines sets forth major accessibility requirements specifically tailored to the characteristics of PDF documents. These include semantic tagging, appropriate treatment of visual elements such as figures and tables, specification of the correct reading order, and application of actual text properties.
This standard is intended to support the creation of accessible PDF/UA documents from the outset. It may also be used when retrofitting existing non-accessible PDF files with accessibility features. Furthermore, it is expected to serve as a valuable reference for a broad range of stakeholders, including developers of PDF viewers and screen readers, in enhancing both the interoperability and accessibility of PDF documents.
https://www.nld.go.kr
Sensotec, Belgium
Within its Online Audiobook division, Sensotec made significant strides in accessible reading. We developed, in collaboration with Tibi (NO), an innovative approach to making comic books accessible for readers with reading difficulties. By detecting text and images separately, readers can enjoy comics in a structured and intuitive way, preserving both story and visual context.
In addition, Sensotec started developing a Windows version of its application. This will enable smoother integration of Daisy solutions into educational curricula, supporting inclusive learning environments for students.
By connecting the Accessible Library of Anderslezen (BE) with the public library network, we simplified access to multiple services, bringing inclusive reading closer to the general public.
We have made listening to audiobooks via our hardware player, the Daisybox, even simpler by adding the EasyCover option for single-button navigation.
Caption: Sensotec Daisybox with yellow EasyCover
This year also marks a breakthrough: thanks to our partnership with Vision Australia, the Daisybox is now officially available in Australia and is being provided to a large number of Vision Australia patrons. Extending accessible reading beyond Europe.
https://pro.sensotec.com
Taylor & Francis, UK
In 2025 Taylor & Francis continued to drive accessibility across the organisation, publishing 6,988 eBooks with 100% image descriptions. Since June we averaged 590 new EPUB3 vendor produced titles per month published born-accessible with 100% image descriptions. 200 Fixed Layout EPUBs were converted to EPUB3. 2,850 new eBook conversions to EPUB3. Updated ONIX accessibility metadata to include certified credentials and hazard warnings. Implemented processes to inject accessibility metadata directly into EPUB content. Developed internal AI tools for alt-text, MathML, and tables, integrating AI-generated image descriptions into all workflows with human review.
We also made progress on Journal accessibility, supported 802 alternative format requests, and worked to address accessibility issues across our platforms involving 97 manual audits in 2025 which equates to 539 hours across 40 products.
https://taylorandfrancis.com/
Next: Financial Review 2025
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