Wired News


   Talking Books Speak Volumes
   by Kendra Mayfield

   3:00 a.m. Jul. 13, 2000 PDT
   When George Kerscher began to lose his sight in his late twenties, the
   former teacher realized that he might never be able to read the same
   way again.

   Since he could no longer delve through the written page Kerscher, who
   has the degenerative disease retinitis pigmentosa, began listening to
   audio books. But while these cassettes helped him read, they were
   limited. He couldn't turn pages or search for text. He had to endure
   hours of recordings to find the information he needed.

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   "Synthetic speech with text provided an accessibility that was always
   important, but it was always synthetic," Kerscher said.

   But Kerscher soon discovered a new technology that could revolutionize
   the way people with print disabilities read: digital talking books.

   "I recognized the increasing enjoyment that listening and reading a
   book at the same time offered to anybody," said Kerscher, an executive
   at the Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D). "I realized that a
   whole lot of people are going to like this.... Kids who wouldn't
   normally like to read would enjoy reading with this enhancement."

   Kerscher now leads the DAISY Consortium, an international group of
   nearly 40 libraries and nonprofit organizations dedicated to
   establishing a global accessibility standard for the next generation
   of digital talking books.

   With DAISY (Digital Audio-based Information System), individuals who
   are blind or print-disabled no longer have to listen to synthetic
   speech. Instead, they can hear a digitally recorded audio narrated by
   a human voice.

   "We have this shared goal of enabling the fundamental right to read,"
   said Peter Osborne, senior manager of the Royal National Institute for
   the Blind and a DAISY Consortium member. "We want to ensure that we
   try and share opportunities for access for information so that no
   sector of society is excluded."

   The DAISY Consortium builds upon converging standards from the World
   Wide Web Consortium, Open Ebook, and The National Information
   Standards Organization.

   "We took a look at the standards that were emerging to decide how to
   use them most effectively for the blind and print-disabled." Kerscher
   said. "All are pointing toward the same kinds of technologies and
   moving toward a new way of doing things."

   "One of the byproducts of digitization is that it's made it more
   difficult for people with disabilities," Richard Scribner, president
   and CEO of the RFB&D, said. "But a global standard will help to erase
   a big part of that difference."

   In a major sign of support for digital talking book standards,
   Microsoft recently announced its plan to provide financial and
   technical support for the Consortium's work. The company will donate
   25 percent of its revenues from the sale of AudioPublisher for the
   Microsoft Reader. The AudioPublisher tool can add information within
   e-books, enabling synchronized audio narration.

   The move could boost the organization's efforts to get commercial
   publishers to adopt digital audio features in mainstream products.

   "It's an enormously important first step," Scribner said. "It charts
   the course for other publishers and other software providers to
   follow."

   "I believe that it will be the first major impetus to move other
   organizations in this direction." Kerscher agreed. "They recognized
   the importance of audio and text content married in the e-book
   reader."
   The drawback of an audiotape is its limited navigation, which only
   allows users to go forward or back. This makes it difficult for people
   with visual impairments to use audio books the same way sighted
   individuals read, according to Kerscher. For example, looking up a
   recipe or searching for a gardening tip would be extremely time
   consuming.

   But with digital talking books, users can navigate through different
   pages, chapters, or even sentences. People can search for a given
   word, or start the audio at any given point using a special keypad.

   "You absolutely have the ability to move through digital talking books
   in much the same way as with a printed books," Kerscher said. "The
   ability to see and hear at the same time is a huge benefit."

   In a recent RFB&D study, 15 percent of all students who used digital
   talking books demonstrated increased comprehension, reading, and
   enjoyment. The ability to see and read at the same time reduced
   distractions and helped students with dyslexia and Attention Deficit
   Disorder (ADD) read faster, Kerscher said.

   "We're seeing tremendous value in academic settings," said Mark
   Hakkinen, CTO of isSound, a company that licenses the synchronized
   text-to-audio technology for the Microsoft Reader.

   With synchronized text-to-audio, users can listen to a description of
   an image in a textbook, instead of just seeing it. Such enhancements
   should help mainstream users as well as students with disabilities.

   "This isn't just a disability issue," Hakkinen said. "It benefits a
   broad range of users. It's great for everyone."

   Although several CD players and other portable devices that read
   e-books are already on the market, talking digital books have been
   slow to hit mainstream distribution.

   "The greatest barrier to adoption right now is the availability of
   content," Kerscher said. While e-books and talking books are
   completely compatible with each other, electronic publishers are still
   pushing to develop enough content to create sufficient demand for the
   devices.

   As with other digital books, copyright concerns may impede digital
   talking books gaining mainstream acceptance.

   "Once that problem is in hand, the digital book and the digital
   talking book will take off tremendously," Scribner said.

   Another barrier is creating a common standard across countries, which
   requires developing support for multiple languages. To remedy this, a
   language-development toolkit is in the works that will provide the
   same recording and playback technology worldwide.

   Future enhancements, such as improved screen display technologies and
   built-in speech recognition for navigation, could also help the next
   generation of digital books find an audience.

   Kerscher predicts that digital talking books will hit mainstream as
   soon as 2001. "As soon as you get a digital talking book player for
   the car, it's (going to take off)."


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