Daisy

What is DAISY?

Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) refers to a globally recognized technical standard for producing accessible and navigable multimedia documents. The standard was originally developed to benefit people who are unable to read print due to a disability, but it also has broad applications to improving access of information for everyone. The DAISY Consortium’s vision is for equal access to information and knowledge for all individuals regardless of disability.

Benefits of DAISY Books

The DAISY book offers students easy and flexible navigation through digital recording. It is the same concept as reading a print book, where one may skip through the introductory matter of a book, find chapter headings, look at a specific page, etc. Students can navigate through a DAISY book by sentence, paragraph, specific page numbers, and various heading levels. It is also possible to fast forward, rewind, and to jump to certain time increments when using the audio component. Depending on the playback equipment being used, a book can be searched for specific words. If students need to refer back to a specific point in a book when studying, they can also place bookmarks and record their own notes for future reference.

Publishing a book in the DAISY format means that functionality can be built in at the beginning, including full text, images, audio, print page numbers, footnotes, etc. This allows students to decide how they want to access the material. For students who may only want to listen to the audio, they can access the auditory feature. For students who have partial vision, they may want to access the images as well as the audio. If they have dyslexia, they may benefit from listening to the audio and seeing the synchronized text at the same time. For students who are tactile learners, DAISY provides them the opportunity to explore documents on computers, devices, or DAISY players, and interact with information in a way that holds their attention and improves their learning.

DAISY Players

There are two types of DAISY players available: Hardware and software. Hardware DAISY players are quite portable and can benefit students who commute or travels frequently. Software DAISY players enable DAISY books to be played on a computer, tablet, or mobile device. They often have capabilities of being transferred onto a INSERTLINKLATER refreshable Braille display for those who prefer their information in Braille. DAISY books can also be accessed online and downloaded to a hardware player, streamed over the internet, or downloaded into a portable MP3 player.

Different DAISY players offer different levels of functionality. some are very basic, only offering access to the audio and navigational structure of the DAISY book. Some players offer enhanced functionality, such as being able to search the text (if is produced with the functionality in the original file), record audio notes, and view the text and synchronized audio together as the book is playing.

Examples of Hardware Players

CD-Based DAISY Players

These players vary in size and have the ability to play DAISY books, standard audio CDs, and MP3 CDs. Complementary audible information with a visual display for showing status information and section headings are available on some models. These products are suitable for students who do not require access to text and graphics. Controls are relatively easy and uncomplicated to operate, which will benefit young children or students with learning disabilities.

SD-Card based DAISY players

These players store media such as SD (secure digital) cards. Reading material can be transferred to the unit via a USB cable or by putting the storage card into a card reader connected to the computer. These players can read DAISY and MP3 files, as well as can also use digital voice recorder functions to record class lectures or their own study notes. They are very portable as the size of the device is generally smaller than the CD-based DAISY players. The disadvantage is that it does not have a visual display, so it may not be suitable for students who are visual learners.

Examples of Software Players

These software programs or apps can usually all play DAISY, regular audio, and MP3 files (for books and music). They have built-in basic screen-readers with very clear speech, but users can also use their own preferred screen reading program. They provide full DAISY navigation, such as skipping the content by page numbers or paragraphs. They allow for multiple bookmarks. They all have built-in “go to” feature allowing students, educators or staff to search for keywords and phrases.

Free or Open Source DAISY software players

  • AMIS project page– AMIS is free open source DAISY playback software developed by the DAISY Consortium. Features of AMIS include its self-voicing interface, playback rate control, bookmarking, reading options, and page style customization. AMIS is available in multiple languages. AMIS runs on Windows and supports DAISY 2.02 and DAISY 3.
  • Bookshare Web Reader – this software is available for free for Bookshare members. In Canada, anyone with a print disability can register for Bookshare with a membership to the Centre for Equitable Library Access.
  • DD reader for Windows– This open source DAISY 3 reading software was developed by the Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind in Brazil and is free to use and share. The DAISY books can be read by synthesized voice, pre-recorded narration, or text only. The DAISY reading software can be downloaded in 3 different language versions: English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
  • DDReader app for Android – This app is similar to the Windows version from the Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind in Brazil, and is also available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
  • Direct to Player app for Android and iOS – This app is available for individuals registered with the Centre for Equitable Library Access and/or CNIB library in Canada, a service which is free to individuals with a print disability. CELA also supports teachers in gaining access to help their students download materials through its Educator Access Program.
  • Dolphin Easy Reader App on iOS – This app is a free accessible reading app that connects to the CELA library, Bookshare, and other libraries.
  • Go Read app for Android – GoRead was developed by Benetech and can connect directly to Bookshare, a library free to CELA members. As mentioned, CELA is a free service for Canadians with a print disability.
  • Tab player for English and Thai– This free software player supports DAISY 2.0 and 2.02.

The DAISY Consortium’s website under Tools and Services lists other free software and apps that support organizations outside of Canada, as well as paid software and hardware DAISY players. Some are proprietary to specific devices and others are free for those who have subscribed to a specific library.

Points to Ponder

When choosing a software DAISY player, consider the following:

  • Does it allow text or audio notes to be added to DAISY files? An external microphone is required to make your own verbal notes.
  • Is it compatible with your current computer’s operating system and access software (such as the screen magnifiers/readers, and scanning and reading software)?
  • Is it easy to use with the interface for accessing menus?
  • Can it be customized for more than one person if the package is shared amongst students, educators and staff?
  • Is the easy to search through their DAISY files or library?
  • Is there a trial period before purchasing the software player?
  • Is the software player compatible with the DAISY format (link to DAISY format section below)?

DAISY formats

  • DAISY 2.0 – A current playback hardware and software will easily support this format. The DAISY 2.0 specification will identify headings, page number references, and metadata for book cataloguing or identification.
  • DAISY 2.02 – Has optional skippable structures that enable students to configure their player to automatically “skip over” elements found in most books and student materials. Footnotes, optional producer notes, sidebars, and the voicing of page numbers are the items that this specification addresses.
  • DAISY 3 (formally ANSI/NISO Z3986-2005) – In addition to skippable structures as in DAISY 2.02, this format provides information that is missing from a document or is visually inaccessible to the reader. Instead of defining levels of heading as “level 1, 2, 3”, it describes the types of headings such as “part”, “section”, “chapter” in a book. This format enables students to set bookmarks and to highlight passages in a book, label the marked sections with text or audio notes, and export their own notes to other playback devices.

Summary

DAISY books have a great deal to offer in terms of enhancing literacy skills in students and providing them with alternative ways to read educational information. The technology is accessible in schools, both in terms of cost and usability. Unlike analogue talking books, an important feature of DAISY books is easy and rapid navigation, providing students a similar process in accessing information as their peers using conventional books.

Students can listen to DAISY books on:

  • Standalone DAISY Players
  • Computers using DAISY playback software such as AMIS
  • Mobile devices and tablets
  • MP3 players—with limited navigation

Students can access a computerized text DAISY book by:

Click here on how to create DAISY formats

Resources

  • DAISY Consortium – The DAISY Consortium is an international association that develops, maintains and promotes international DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) Standards. It is managed by a Board made up of representatives from all Full Member organizations. The Consortium is constituted as a not-for-profit association under Swiss law and is governed by Articles of Association.
  • Centre for Equitable Library Access – The Centre for Equitable Library Access, CELA, is Canada’s most comprehensive accessible reading service, providing books and other materials to Canadians with print disabilities in the formats of their choice. A national not-for-profit organization, CELA serves 90% of the estimated 3 million Canadians with print disabilities in partnership with member public libraries. CELA provides access to more than 500,000 professionally produced titles to provide people with print disabilities with a quality library experience.
  • CNIB– The Canadian Institute for the Blind (CNIB) has a collection of over 60,000 titles, including 300,000 individual talking book copies. The organization’s services include talking books, braille books, electronic books, children’s PrintBraille books, Braille music, magazines, descriptive videos, and tactile diagrams. The CNIB Library is now accessed through CELA.
  • Bookshare.org– A not for profit American organization that provides access to books in a variety of alternate formats, including DAISY. It is free for all U.S. students with qualifying disabilities, and membership is available to individuals, schools and groups. Although they offer approximately over 500,000 digital books, textbooks, teacher-recommended reading, periodicals and assistive technology tools, not all of their material can be supplied outside the USA due to copyright restrictions. Canadian students with a print disability can register for free with the Centre for Equitable Library Access, and then register for free with Bookshare.

How It Relates to the AODA legislation

DAISY relates to the following sections of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Integrated Accessibility Standards, specifically some of the following sections in the Information and Communication Standards:

In the Ontario public education system, the Alternate Education Resources of Ontario service of the Provincial Schools Branch provides alternate formats like DAISY files to help schools support their students.

AODA Significance

  1. DAISY is a widely used digital format of a talking book that when used with a DAISY player provides individuals with an alternative means to access information and educational resources.
  2. People interact, learn and communicate in diverse ways. Learning opportunities are increased when flexible ways of engaging with learning materials are provided. Considering how people communicate is important for knowledge to be exchanged. Alternative formats take into account diverse ways of exchanging information.
  3. The AODA legislates that educational institutions and its employees know how to produce accessible or conversion ready versions of textbooks and printed material and be knowledgeable at interacting and communicating with people with disabilities who may use alternate formats and devices.

Additional Resources

To learn how this section relates to the core principles of the AODA Customer Service regulation, visit the INSERTLINKLATER AODA page on SNOW.

To learn of ways to innovate, develop, and design for accessibility, visit OCAD University’s Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC) website and the IDRC’s floe project website.