Table of Contents

XV. Equal Access for Equal Participation: The Daisy Talking Book Production Initiative

A. Nature of the problem

Over the Decade, the term “Information and Communication Technology” (ICT) has become increasingly important in most, if not all, aspects of everyday life and work. This new ICT environment, while making life easier in many ways, also requires the user to learn and adapt to its many and evolving features. In more recent times, changes in ICT and multimedia platforms have seen it transformed from a largely text-based medium to a multimedia environment. This is causing problems for people with disabilities. But the right of people with disabilities to pursue and maintain productive employment means that ways must be pursued to ensure ICT access keeps pace with its rapid technological development.

Previously, the use of ICT to create or promote employment of persons with disabilities in Thailand has taken two main approaches:

(1) Matching the physical ability of persons with disabilities with existing ICT without any modification or adaptation of the technology itself. This practice has opened up employment opportunity for individuals who can use existing technology, but has done little to move towards greater ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities;

(2) Creating and/or promoting new employment opportunities for persons with disabilities by combining skills training in ICT and accessible ICT. The practice has been limited by the high cost of imported ICT hardware and/or software produced to be accessible or added on to existing ICT to make it more accessible, the cost of making ICT accessible in the local (Thai) language, and difficulties convincing the public and government officials that ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities is a right and brings benefits to all.

It is important therefore, that the benefits of accessibility be made evident to government and communities. Making ICT more accessible can bridge the so called “digital divide” between those with access and those without. Even more inspiring, it can also bridge the information gap between people with different types of disabilities. Well developed, accessible ICT is capable of presenting information through simultaneous and synchronized multimedia for persons with varying types of disabilities and abilities. A good example of how this is possible, and the potential this creates for people with disabilities and the communities their live and work in, is DAISY – the Digital Accessible Information System.

The Digital Audio-based Information System was originally developed as digital talking book technology. It has since been expanded to the level of a completely synchronized multimedia information system. DAISY is the next generation in digital talking books. Its potential to bridge the information gap between the blind/print disabled and people at large is being increasingly recognized. Still to be addressed, however, is the extent to which blind people, as consumers of such technology, are able to access either free or commercially available DAISY production/playback software programmes, such as SigtunaDAR, or LpStudio/Pro.

Until as little as five years ago, DAISY was unknown in Thailand. Although education for the visually impaired in Thailand has been in existence since 1939, only about 1 per cent of blind children attend school, and fewer than 200 blind students have obtained university level education. In Thailand, most of the schools or centres which provide educational or training services to the visually impaired are run by private organizations. Development and availability of teaching resources is also limited, with each school having to establish and maintain its own material production unit which serves its students only. Currently there is no library service at the national level run by the Government for the blind and those with difficulty in reading print text.
The DAISY Talking book Production Initiative in Thailand is an attempt to bring both service providers and consumers together to bring about positive changes in the area of ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities in Thailand.

B. Main features of the organization

The DAISY Talking Book Production Initiative in Thailand was set up in 1999, and is overseen by the Thailand National Committee on DAISY Production and Services (TNCD), which is an alliance of six organizations of and for blind people in Thailand. Project partners are Ratchasuda College, Mahidol University, Thailand Association of the Blind (TAB), Christian Foundation for the Blind (CFBT), Foundation for the Promotion of Employment of the Blind (FEPB), Caulfield Library for the Blind, and the Ministry of Education.

In order to facilitate the work of the committee to its fullest, Ratchasuda College, as one of the leading academic institutions for people with disabilities, was chosen to serve as the coordinating organization, taking the role of the secretariat and serving as the research, training and consulting body for other partner organizations.

The fundamental objectives of the initiative are to:

(1) Obtain and allocate necessary hardware and software for DAISY Talking Book production at each partner organization;
(2) Introduce new and innovative ICT to blind people, including professionals, experts and all agencies related to blindness in Thailand through training workshops on DAISY Talking Book production, seminars and demonstrations and ongoing technological development;
(3) Conduct both short- and long-term research and development activities to set standards for future Talking Book productions in Thailand;
(4) Identify appropriate ways of obtaining and distributing DAISY hardware and software units to end-users in Thailand, particularly those who may not be able to afford them; and
(5) Promote public awareness of blind people’s fundamental rights to information access.

As part of the project, an Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop on DAISY Talking Book Production was held in Bangkok, 25-27 September 1999. The workshop was held during the first ever General Assembly of the World Blind Union in the Asia-Pacific region. This workshop was an opportunity to share the Thai initiative with other groups and organizations working with the blind in the region.

A number of training workshops were also held. The first training workshop on DAISY book production using the Sigtuna software programme was conducted at Ratchasuda College. Each member organization was able to send at least one representative to attend the workshop with funding support from the Overbrook and Nippon Network of Educational Technology for Blind and Visually Impaired People (ON-NET). At the end of the workshops, each member organization was given a copy of Sigtuna Digital Audio Recorder version 2.017 and a set of microcomputers with necessary additional hardware/software for DAISY production. Three additional sets were allocated at Ratchasuda College for research and training purposes.

A DAISY working group was also set up at Ratchasuda College. Its tasks are:

(1) Translating and preparing DAISY training material in Thai;
(2) Producing DAISY books in Thai (mainly for research purposes); and
(3) Conducting research and development activities.

C. Achievements

Since the beginning of the project there has been much progress and many achievements. More than 100 DAISY book titles have been completed. Research and development activities are in progress and blind persons are themselves involved in many of these activities. Through the use of JAWS script, they can access at least 80 per cent of Sigtuna software, and, therefore can participate in the process of DAISY production, especially in the area of sound editing and even software training. Awareness of DAISY technology amongst government officials and the public has increased and, with it, so has understanding of the rights of blind and print disabled people to equal information access. In addition, the Educational Technology Center, Ministry of Education, is planning to expand its recording studio to enable increased and improved talking book production. Moreover, the Thailand Association of the Blind (TAB) is expanding its talking book library, and changing its name to “The National Library for the Blind and Print Disabled”. At least five DAISY production units will be allocated to the new library.

The project has also been able to gain the support of Her Royal Highness, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. After receiving a brief summary report, Her Royal Highness kindly granted permission for TNCD to visit her and give a presentation on DAISY technology. The presentation was very well received and has brought several positive outcomes including funds to purchase 30 PlexTalk units. These units will be allocated to 15 schools and educational centres for the blind in Thailand. This will increase by three-fold the number of playback units available in Thailand.

D. Key lessons learned

Despite the progress mentioned above, there are still many problems to face in both Thailand and elsewhere. Key challenges include:

(1) DAISY technology, both related hardware and software, for production or reading purposes, is not widely available.
(2) The right of persons with disabilities to equal information access is not as widely recognized or understood as the right to equal physical access.
(3) Blind people, especially those with good computer skills, have not been drawn upon enough or their skills acknowledged suitably, as resources for the promotion and improvement of DAISY technology.

In many countries, policies and measures to protect the workplace rights of persons with disabilities from losing their jobs, are greatly needed. In Thailand, a great number of the blind and other people with disabilities sell lottery tickets on the street as their main source of income. In 1999, plans were floated to automate the process of ticket selling, which would have seen many ticket sellers and blind people out of work. In order to protect this sector of employment, the Thailand Association of the Blind (TAB) launched a strong and effective campaign to protect the employment of the blind ticket sellers. Instead of conducting a more traditional campaign through mass rallies and public meetings, TAB decided to engage in “internet and telecommunication warfare”.

Before beginning the campaign, TAB circulated its press release to various news agencies, internet mailing lists, human rights organizations and organizations of blind people around the world. In addition, constant updates on the campaign were released by the campaign organizers using a Braille note taker. The updated messages were then dictated via a mobile phone to another blind person at the national headquarters who then disseminated the latest campaign news around the world via the Internet.
The result of such an innovative campaign was beyond expectations. Many messages of support and encouragement were received, both through regular post and e-mail. There was news coverage by major news agencies, such as the BBC, AP, and Reuters. Most of all, there was strong support from the local community who appreciated the less intrusive approach of the campaign, which stayed off the streets but was still in the minds of newspaper readers and television viewers. One of the most exciting developments was that blind hackers around the world assisted the campaign by generating thousands of messages to government websites. This did not destroy data or systems but did paralyse them, replicating the frustrations experienced daily by many blind users of less accessible ICT.

After a week of campaign activities, the Government decided not to pursue its planned policy to install automatic lottery ticket machines. The “war” was won, and the jobs of many were protected. The key to this experience is that ICT can be used not just to create employment opportunities for blind people, but also to protect them. Perhaps most importantly, ICT can play an important role in generating awareness and support for the rights of people with disabilities.

E. Sustainability

Sustainability requires innovative practice for the future and universal recognition of Equal Access for Equal Participation. Access to ICT has the potential to transform the lives of people with disabilities. But to ensure this potential is developed in ICT as well as among users, there is a need to make certain adequate enforcement mechanisms and compliance incentives are in place to encourage governments to develop and implement legislation and standards on accessible environments.

As recognition of DAISY as a viable tool to information access for persons with disabilities is increasing, more needs to be done to guarantee that its intended primary users, blind people, are allowed not just to benefit from its development, but also have a key role in its development. ICT access for persons with disabilities is good for all. ICT can assist in promoting, creating, enhancing and protecting employment as well as impacting on all other aspects of daily life. However, for full benefits to be achieved and sustained from the promise of ICT, full and fair participation of persons with disabilities in all aspects and at levels of ICT development, design and usaged must be ensured.

The greatest force for positive change for humanity and society comes from within – this “within” means within all of us.