ZoomThe virtual library for visually impaired persons proposed by the BrailleNet association during last October TEC show seduced all those involved in making the Web accessible to all.
This virtual library is the result of a collaboration between INRIA Grenoble and INSERM U438, both BrailleNet members. The library provides access to public domain publications available on the Web through a unified catalog that is accessible to visually impaired persons. The documents can be displayed on the screen in large type, read on a Braille display or translated by a voice synthesizer.
The database is hosted by the INRIA server. It contains the URLs of the publications and is also a mirror site in order to ensure the permanence of the library. The library now contains over a thousand titles and should grow from the provisions from the various French-speaking libraries. The catalog meets the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) accessibility recommendations, and in particular those issued by WAI (Web Accessibility Initiative).
The next step will be Braille printing of the text, using a coding format defined in collaboration with the specialized schools that participate in the project. To follow the latest evolutions in the field, consult the proceedings of the colloquium on digital books held at the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie on the last February 4, at http://www.braillenet.jussieu.fr/livre-numerique.
Contact :Dominique Burger, Inserm 483 Unit
Tél : +33 1 44 27 34 35,
Dominique.Burger@snv.jussieu.fr
Bruno Marmol, INRIA Rhône Alpes
Tél : +33 4 76 61 53 04,
Bruno.Marmol@inria.fr
WAI : http://www.w3.org/WAI/
