AccessibleNews DAISY: Newspapers in DAISY
Gaurang Kanvinde, Saurabh Gupta · 2011 · Proceedings of the International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A) · doi:10.1145/1969289.1969320
Summary
This paper presents AccessibleNews DAISY, software developed by Accessible Systems in Mumbai, India, that automatically converts web-based newspaper and magazine content into DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) digital talking books. The authors identify that while the internet offers unlimited information, accessing it remains cumbersome for blind people — requiring them to sit at a computer, learn screen reader software, and navigate complex web pages. As a result, blind people are often forced to depend on radio and TV for news, which offer limited scope for self-directed reading. The solution leverages the DAISY format, a publishing standard developed by the DAISY Consortium that focuses on improving navigability of content. AccessibleNews DAISY reads from user-configured RSS feeds, downloads the referenced articles, uses proprietary technology to extract the useful text content from web pages (stripping navigation, advertisements, and other clutter), and creates a DAISY 2.02 Digital Talking Book. The resulting DTB can be read with software DAISY readers like AMIS, transferred to portable DAISY players via the included Daisy Sync Tool, or (planned) accessed directly on mobile phones.
Key findings
The software provides a complete pipeline from RSS feeds to portable DAISY books: users configure their preferred feeds either through an OPML file (which most RSS readers can export) or through the AccessibleNews website interface — a one-time setup. The software then automatically fetches articles, extracts main content, and generates a navigable DAISY book organized by newspaper sections and individual articles, allowing blind readers to skip between stories with the same convenience sighted readers have scanning a printed newspaper. The web-based user interface eliminates screen reader compatibility issues that plague desktop applications. The DAISY books are compatible with most commercial portable DAISY readers, enabling consumption while commuting, lounging, or having breakfast — matching the casual reading experience sighted people take for granted. Initial user feedback indicated that rendering web content in DAISY format significantly improves usability for people with blindness or print disabilities. A mobile phone application was planned to allow direct DAISY conversion on the phone without needing a computer.
Relevance
AccessibleNews DAISY addresses a practical daily need that is easy to overlook: the ability to casually browse news and stay informed. For sighted people, scanning a newspaper is effortless and portable; for blind people in 2011, it required dedicated computer time with complex screen reader software. By converting web content to the familiar, navigable DAISY format — already widely used in libraries and educational institutions for blind readers — the software met users where they already had skills and devices. The Indian context is significant: with limited access to expensive screen readers and often inconsistent internet connectivity, a solution that downloads content for offline portable reading was especially practical. The DAISY format has since been succeeded by EPUB 3 (which incorporated DAISY's accessibility features), and modern screen readers and reading apps have improved news access considerably. However, the core insight — that accessible content should be consumable on users' terms, not tethered to a computer — anticipated the mobile-first accessibility thinking that has become standard practice.
Tags: DAISY · blind and low vision · assistive technology · news accessibility · digital talking books · RSS · Global South accessibility · content accessibility
Standards referenced: DAISY 2.02