information innovation independence Reaching our Audience

Content Vision Australia i-access ® –Print Disability in Australia –Service outline –Service Delivery Challenges –Implementation milestones Shaping the future –Issues and Challenges –Partnerships –A way forward

Service Outline i-access ® Goal An open, on line service books, newspapers, magazines, text mobile remote devices What it is now –Digital information and library service –Committed to production and delivery of all commonly used alternate formats such as Braille, audio, large print, text in a DAISY format Key drivers –obsolescence of the analogue systems –expand reach and quantity of accessible information

Service Outline i-access ® : access and usability Strategy –Create an end to end process : Content – production – distribution - consumption –Transition to on line and support current service –Client choice and new pathways to information –Significantly build library content : conversion of existing analogue, DAISY consortium purchasing, commercial purchasing and in-house production –Build in house digital content storage and delivery capability –Enhance alternate production and distribution processes –Financial and technical sustainability

i-access ® scope : End to End Digitised books and other content Online storage and data management Search, select and delivery options Member playback options Content Creation Processes Content Storage and Management Content Search & Delivery

Vision Australia i-access® Our Client Free service Age 11 years – 100 years ; median 79 years Technology Access Capability Diverse needs Recreation/ education / workplace information Alternate formats Access Cost Location

Service Milestones i-access® Full trial members CD and handheld Currently –Digital library service established : 12,000 DAISY titles –Over 14,000 CD & 500 handheld DAISY devices distributed –Stage 1 i-access ® Online service introduced : 130 newspapers 30 magazines 30 books every month –Burn on Demand :16,000 CDs per month –76 TB of mass file storage installed

i-access® - News on the Go On line newspaper delivery service started in 2007 –170 local and national newspapers published daily or weekly –Over 30 magazines from the same publishers –Free of charge to client Partnership with 2 major Australian newspaper publishers –Fairfax and News Limited –No charge to Vision Australia by publishers Features –Subscribers receive newspaper by 6 a.m. each morning –Conversion fully automated –Editions updated throughout the day …. today I read the newspaper in bed for the very first time…. Bernadette, 56

News on the Go Flowchart i-access® online DAISY Library FTP Server Narrator OCR Internet Electronic file from Publishers i-access Web services DAISY Converter Vision Australia Production Server Synthetic Voice (If requested) DAISY 2.02 & DAISY 3 i-access Downloader (application) DAISY Text or Audio Range of reading devices Hardware or software Automated

Service Delivery Challenges

Vast area to cover – Europe fits into Australia over 2 times Population Comparative – 22 million people ; 70% urban – 300,000 b/vi ; 50% split urban to rural Cost – no national broadband provider – very limited Government support – Cost to establish digital platform $25 million Service Delivery Challenges

Future Design : end to end Content ProductionDistributionConsumption Publishers Newspapers Magazines Education Government Others eg Google i-access® Production Manager Manual Content Production i-access® On-line alternate Format Production Desk top Laptop Postage Landline Mobile VA Radio Public Library Network

Vision Australia i-access® Shaping the Future Partnerships –Hosting –Production –Discounted rates –Global Library concept

Vision Australia i-access® Georgina, 11 - … it makes me feel like all the other kids… Elaine, 81 - … I’d feel lost… books are my lifeline… Prof Ron McCallum AO, - … …amazing technology compensates…involved