Here is a description of a project to establish a local newspaper
accessible by voice or computer phone. Dr. Harold Snider is
coordinating the project. He supplied the description that
follows. Unfortunately, some of the format in the original text
has been lost in transmission. However, the text is otherwise
complete. Tim Cranmer
Begin text from Snider:
Print Access II: a Working Prototype for a Digital Daily Newspaper
for Print-Disabled People The CPB/WGBH National Center for
Accessible Media (NCAM) proposes a project to establish a working
prototype of a system to make an exisiting daily newspaper fully
accessible to blind and low-vision communities and other
print-disabled people through state-of-the-art digital technology.
This prototype will transfer a newspaper's written text into
electronic form and deliver the material via various means into the
home of the end-user. The main activities of this project will be:
1) to re-survey and update existing knowledge about print-access
delivery systems in the U.S. and worldwide; 2) to create and/or
locate and evaluate the technology necessary to produce a working
prototype of a digitally accessible daily newspaper; 3) to test an
acquired or modified prototype with end-users; and 4) to make
recommendations for both refinements to the prototype and eventual
widespread, multi-market implementation. Larry Goldberg, NCAM's
director will provide oversight as Project Director, dedicating 10%
of his time in-kind to the Project. Dr. Harold Snider, owner of
the Washington, DC-based consulting company, Access for the
Handicapped, Inc., will manage the Project and provide for industry
and consumer outreach. Dr. Snider is himself blind and is a
leading technologist in the field of access. Administrative
assistant Judith Navoy will contribute 10% of her time assisting
the project director, organizing press releases and mailings, and
coordinating travel plans. In the first quarter of the project, an
Advisory Committee will be established representing blind and
low-vision communities, the newspaper industry, and academic
researchers. Using the information uncovered during the first
CPB-funded Media Access Research and Development Office (MARDO)
project on Print Access, Dr. Snider will re-survey the current
state-of-the-art of this rapidly changing field and locate and
identify potential project and funding partners. Based on
demographics, community needs, and degree of cooperation, a
newspaper will be solicited and selected as a project partner and
the planning process will begin for transmitting written text in an
electronic format. The project manager will approach computer
manufacturers and manufacturers of access technology, and
organizations of and for the blind for donations of equipment,
in-kind services, and supplementary funding. During the second
quarter, a software/hardware consultant will be hired to create
and/or locate and evaluate technology for: 1) cleaning up
compositor or typeset text; and 2) delivering the newspaper itself.
The first step involves downloading the digital information which
is sent to the printing presses and stripping all special printing
codes. The second step involves the acquisition or creation of the
appropriate delivery mechanisms and user interfaces (multiple
interfaces are anticipated based on the variety of technical
sophistication levels among various print-disabled populations).
Software will be evaluated for an easy and transparent user
interface for downloading, managing, and navigating through the
newspaper. At the end of the second quarter, the Advisory
Committee will meet to evaluate and validate the Project's
progress. The next step, during the third quarter, will be to
recruit and select user groups for the various delivery methods,
most likely incorporating both on-line and synthetic speech dial-up
services. These user groups will beta-test the systems. Software
and navigation packages will be developed, duplicated, and
distributed to the beta-test group. Training materials in braille,
on cassette, and computer disk will be developed and distributed.
Initial purchases of sufficient hardware and software will be made
for the beta test. Hardware, software, and sufficient telephone
lines will be installed for each potential system. During the
final quarter of the Project, the chosen newspaper will be
converted from pre-press format to electronic text which can be
delivered by synthetic speech via dial-up service or through a
modem on-line for home PC users to convert into their preferred
format (braille, large print, or synthesized speech). Beta-test
users will then evaluate the delivery and navigation systems which
permit them to move from one section or article to another, from
one paragraph to the next, or to search for specific material. The
final report will include the results of the three-month trial,
recommendations for refinements to the system, and suggestions for
marketplace implementation of transmission of newspapers on-line or
with synthetic speech via phone. Additional funds, if available
from any of the interested parties named above, will be targeted
toward refinement of the software interfaces and dissemination of
results through distribution of the final report and presentation
at relevant consumer and professional conferences. . ...
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Dec 02 2012 - 01:30:03 PST