Few years ago, this alluring thought was nothing but an idealistic dream floating in thin air. Today it is no longer a dream: in a couple of years, technology will turn the vision into reality.
Digitalisation is the means.
With a view to being abreast of the technological development, Nota has decided to make the year 2000 the start of a complete change of technology, designed to take the crucial step from the analogue technology of the past to the digital world of today.
Shortly before the turn of the millennium, a three year performance contract was signed by Elsebeth Gerner Nielsen, Danish Minister of Culture, and Elsebeth Tank, Director of Nota. In this contract top priority has been given to the vision of using digitalisation as a means of securing equal access to information for all users of Nota.
Nota develops, produces and provides material with all kinds of information for its users.
Hitherto, the prominent media have been Braille and conventional talking books, media which have severely limited the number of texts that can be made available to the blind, partially sighted and dyslexic, to only a tiny fraction of the world's enormous volumes of printed material.
The talking book, as we know it today, is a voluminous box with several cassettes to be played on a conventional cassette recorder. It is an example of the so-called analogue technology with sounds stored as sound waves, which take up considerable space on the cassette - the medium.
The talking book also requires extensive shelf space. Copying and sending it is time-consuming, and users may find themselves spending a considerable amount of time searching for a specific quote.
Digital technology changes all this. Physically, information stored takes up very little room. A work is easily sent by e-mail from Nota in Copenhagen directly to the user or, say, some public library in Jutland - in less time than you would spend only picking up its analogue equivalent from the shelf.
The ongoing digitalisation has spawned an immense increase in texts and information that can be made available to the visually impaired with only a few adaptations.
Digital technique renders it possible to improve electronic texts thereby giving people debarred from reading, the opportunity to search for information. Within soon, this new and revolutionary technique will be an everyday event.
A new Danish speech synthesis is expected to be on the market in 2001 or 2002. If quality lives up to expectations, ordinary text files will be made audible also, by means of synthetic speech. For tests to be conducted in 2000, Nota has been granted almost one million Danish kroner from the IT Lottery Funds.
Nota has already come a long way using digital technology for production of Braille material, on paper or in electronic form. Today a special Braille display is available for personal computers, enabling the blind to read the text by feeling what others read on the screen.
Anyone believing that the visually impaired lack the ability or the motivation to use computer technology is very wrong indeed...
By 2000, Nota will switch to digital sound recordings. The creation of the digital library for the blind will commence with 'works of lasting value'. Nota will produce as many novels and other literary 'works of lasting value' as produced by analogue technique so far, that is 225 titles a year.
To start with, digital recordings will be converted to analogue versions before being distributed. Ordinary users will not experience the change in technology for another four or five years; mainly because most users will, for some years, continue to demand products for their analogue cassette recorders.
But digital recorders, enabling users to search and browse, are gaining a foothold. So far these recorders have the disadvantage of not following a common standard, but development is rapid in this field.
Not even Nota has the equipment required for full digitalisation such as sound studios, dubbing machines and archives. To reduce initial expenses, Nota intends to contract out some of the processes.
In order to live up to its own vision, Nota will have to convert its huge collection of analogue master tapes to digital form. The collection numbers about 80,000 master tapes, covering 11,000 titles. Nota expects to convert 40 per cent of its collection in the years 2002 and 2003.
For economic reasons, the strategy of DDB aims at gradually introducing digital techniques to carefully selected groups of users.
To a large extend, the IT-strategy focuses on two user groups: those with computer and those with jobs. However, most visually impaired employees of the Danish workforce have access to a computer. In recent years, Nota has experienced a growing pressure to provide services for this user group. Digital sound production of, for instance, reference books for this group will begin in 2000. Also the same group's demand for electronic texts is very likely to increase.
Demands from disabled migrants and refugees are expected to increase too. Nota will launch new efforts in favour of this group in 2000.
People suffering from deaf-blindness is one of the most vulnerable groups using Nota. Experiments with special recordings and magna print publications for the deaf-blind will be given high priority from 2001. Also Braille readers are given priority as a user group. Nota considers it essential to support the endeavours to retain and strengthen the use of Braille - the written language of the visually impaired. Efforts will be increased by 2002.
Little by little, IT developments will revolutionise all activities of Nota. Library and producer, Nota will supplement its functions by assuming the additional roles of the lobbyist and the link creator.
Nota will act on the offensive to communicate information, to plead the users' cause and to create links to other producers.
Nota serves all its users throughout Denmark directly. Furthermore, Nota functions as the 'central provider' of talking material for the public libraries. This function supports the public libraries' lending of talking material and is especially intended for dyslexic persons. In the near future, Nota wants to provide both individual users and the library world with direct access to its catalogues.
Particularly, Nota wants to secure for its users equal access to all information offered by the public libraries.
Online connection to the electronic network of the Danish libraries requires a standard library system. Special supplementary modules will render the system accessible to the visually impaired. Nota aims at procuring and implementing a state-of-the-art system in 2002 to 2003.
Public and research libraries strive to improve access to information for the disabled. Nota will support these efforts by providing expertise. One library could ask whether such-and-such database would accommodate the disabled, and which solution to be chosen?
Evolving the role as an inspirer and advisor is given top priority by Nota. Consultative services, training courses and publications rank high. But also projects involving both Nota and other libraries would be an option.
This is one way for Nota to update its function as 'central provider'.
Inspired by the blue print on children's culture authored by the Danish Minister of Culture, Nota intends to strengthen general library efforts towards disabled children. In 2000, Nota will launch one or more joint projects on children's culture together with a range of public libraries and municipalities.
Nota will examine whether the public libraries are satisfied with its key provider function and also wishes to identify future needs and requirements of public libraries. This survey will take place in 2000.
Presently, Denmark's Electronic Research Library (DEF) will be able to draw on the expertise of Nota. The aim is to make the countless amounts of digital data managed by DEF available to the disabled. In other words: to consider the needs of the visually impaired when developing the Electronic Research Library.
Innumerable multimedia products are marketed these days. But hardly any of these can be used by the blind and the visually impaired. Therefore Nota intends to improve users' access to information by co-operating with other producers.
Supplying commercial multimedia products such as reference books with interfaces, which acknowledge the needs of the disabled, is one possibility.
Likewise, co-operation with commercial producers is supposed to lead to a broader range of talking books at Nota.
Nota is an active player in a number of international forums concerned with the development of library solutions and products for the blind and other people with disabilities.
The comprehensive technology shift will cause a considerable change in the organisation of Nota and its way of performing. To undertake the role as a lobbyist and a link creator, it is imperial that Nota positions itself as a national competency centre within its own specialist field.
For these reasons, Nota aims at developing a project oriented culture to replace the present production ruled culture. The regularised industrial culture must be radically changed into a flexible culture based on knowledge and technology.
The transition was commenced in 1998. Central to this process are elements like development, non-hierarchical structures, simplified work processes, improved flexibility, reliability and cross-departmental problem solving. For its employees Nota also envisages a large-scale training project planned for the years 2000-2002. This project comprises three long-term training programmes focussing on production, communication and personal qualifications.
Nota bases its activities on cost-effectiveness, but that does not prevent the institution from acknowledging the social dimension and the realities of a diversified workplace.
A long process involving internal discussions among the 90 permanent employees has led to the formulation of an ethical charter for Nota. A social policy profile emphasises special efforts for three groups of employees of Nota: blind and partially sighted individuals, ethnic minorities and staff employed under job training schemes.
The new Webcenter at Nota offers assistance to Danish public libraries and other bodies interested in facilitating access for the visually impaired.
The web centre proposes to test the accessibility of the homepages and the databases produced by other libraries. In case of deficiencies, the web centre may assist libraries amending their interface material.
Public libraries may also send their staff on courses held by Nota where participants are taught how to test and, if needed, restructure their files.
Nota has invented a scale reflecting the steps of accessibility provided for the disabled. A homepage or a database may score up to five guide dogs!
| Zero guide dog | Impossible to access |
|
Difficult to access |
 |
Less useful |
 |
Useful |
 |
Suitable |
 |
Excellent |
Published by:
Text: Elsebeth Tank, director, Nota, and
Kjeld Larsen, journalist
(a member of the Danish Union of Journalists)
Translation: Nota
Photos: MAGNESIUM. Impression: 300.
This publication is also available as a talking book, in Braille.
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