Accessible Formats

Image of accessible formats

There are a number of ways to produce information in a format which can be accessed by people who are not able to read printed or electronic documents.

Many of these formats are considered specialist by people who do not know or work with individuals with sight loss, but it is important to remember that to the individuals concerned their preferred reading format will be very important, and frequently will hold the key to living an independent life.

What formats do I need to produce and in what volume?

That really depends on the type of information you have, and most importantly the requirements of your audience. If you know individuals have specific requirements the best way to meet those requirements is to ask them. A simple question like "What is your preferred reading format?" can save a large amount of time and money, and is likely to be appreciated by the individual concerned.

If you are not able to assess the requirements of your audience in advance you may be able to produce the appropriate numbers based on previous requests, or request a few copies in common formats - it is much quicker to produce more copies than to transcribe a new document.

Specialist Formats

Audio

Image of reading through audio

Who needs audio?

Blind and partially sighted people who cannot access information through sight use their other senses to interact with the world. Audio is a key way for blind and partially sighted people to access information, by hearing information rather than seeing it.

Blind and partially sighted people use audio to "read", in the sense print readers would understand it, in terms of accessing documents, correspondence and leisure materials. Audio is also used to access information about the world, to aid independent living. For example, blind and partially sighted people may use products with audio feedback such as "talking" clocks, thermometers or weighing scales, or the "liquid level indicator" which beeps to indicate a cup is full.

How is audio presented?

There are many different ways to access audio information, from low-tech solutions (asking someone else to read your post to you) to high tech solutions (such as screen-reading software on a computer).

Different audio formats

There are a number of different formats of audio information, including cassette tapes, CDs, and electronic files.

Different people are likely to have different preferences about the way they access audio, perhaps depending on their experience, how comfortable they are with technology, and the equipment they have to play audio.

Types of speech

Most audio information is read aloud by another person, either face to face, or on a recording which can then be accessed by blind or partially sighted people. However, developments in technology have led to the use of synthetic speech, which is speech generated by a computer.
Braille

Image of reading braille

Braille is a tactile reading code that enables blind and partially sighted people to access information by touch - increasing independence and enabling the joy of "reading" and writing to continue.

Who still needs braille in our technological world?

Technology is being developed all the time and this is good news for blind and partially sighted people wishing to access information via a computer - potentially giving them the same access to the digital printed word as sighted people, via access technology that enables the text to be presented in an audio or braille form, or by magnification programs.

Braille continues to have a place alongside technology and offers blind and partially sighted people the flexibility to communicate and enjoy a full education in ways technology currently cannot support.

What is braille used for?

Blind and partially sighted people use braille in many situations:

  • accessing the printed word - documents, books, signs
  • labelling
  • writing
  • accessing a computer.

Providing braille as a service provider

Although only a relatively small percentage of blind and partially sighted people use braille (around 5%) it is essential that service providers supply their information in a range of accessible formats, to give customers a choice of how they wish to access their information. These accessible formats should at the very least include audio, braille, large print and well-structured electronic formats.

DAISY

DAISY - the Digital Accessible Information SYstem is a better way to publish and read information and many consider this to be the future of accessible information.

Why is DAISY a better way to read and publish?

The DAISY format enables the reader flexible access to the digital material via enhanced navigation. So, the same way a sighted reader may skip through the front matter of a book, find chapter headings, find a specific page, jump to certain parts of the text or read from cover to cover - this is all possible within a DAISY DTB.

The beauty of publishing a book in the DAISY format is that all the functionality can be built-in at the beginning by the producer (including full text, images, audio, print page numbers, footnotes etc) and depending on the playback system used, the user can then decide how they access the material. For example, they may only want to listen to the audio; or if they are partially sighted they may want to access the images as well; or if they are dyslexic they may want to listen to the audio and see the synchronised text on screen as well.

Accessible Images

Biology image with both tactile and large print of the same design

"See the attached image for details..."

We all live in a world full of images, with logos and branding, signage, adverts, photos and illustrations almost everywhere. Some of the images are designed to be purely aesthetic, many are designed to convey information of some type, but all have the potential to be of interest to an individual with sight loss.

There are a few ways to make this graphical information accessible, and the most appropriate will depend on the requirements of the individual or user group concerned.

Accessible image options

Tactile Graphics are images which are specially created to be touched rather than looked at. There are a number of ways to produce tactile graphics, and the pages on this site introduce the formats and describe best practice in using and supporting them.

Large print images are intended to be used by sighted or partially sighted people, and can be as simple as very clear versions of the print original. We have some clear guidance on creating the most effective images for low vision use.

Image descriptions are intended to replace a given image by conveying the core message in descriptive text or audio. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, but in the majority of cases images can be accurately described in just a few sentences.

Other Formats

In some cases individuals will prefer to have an accessible mainstream format, like good web accessibility; well created printed material, a word processed document or spreadsheet. There is no reason for these documents to look any different from the regular version produced for sighted people, so long as simple steps are followed in their creation.

Source:

Sensory Engagement Programme

A partnership project between RNIB, Action on Hearing Loss, NCBI and DeafHear funded by the EU's INTERRREG IVA Programme, managed by the SEUPB.