Increasing access to information for the print disabled through electronic documents in SGML

ABSTRACT

There is a growing conviction that the Standard Generalized Markup Language, SGML, can play an important role as an enabling technology to increase access to information for blind and partially sighted people. This paper reports on mechanisms that have been devised to build in accessibility into SGML encoded electronic documents, concentrating on the work done in the CAPS Consortium—Communication and Access to Information for People with Special Needs, a European Union funded project in the Technology Initiative for Disabled and Elderly People (TIDE) Programme—and by ICADD, the International Committee on Accessible Document Design.

REFERENCES

• 1: Full details of the CAPS Consortium can be obtained from the Coordinator, Professor Jan Engelen at the Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium. The Consortium maintains an ftp site, gate.esat.kuleuven.ac.be in the directory /pub/ CAPS and its sub directories which provides access to its latest public documents.
• 2: J. Engelen and J. Baldewijns, Digital Information Distribution for the Reading Impaired' From Daily Newspapers to Whole Libraries. The 3rd International Conference on Computers for Handicapped Persons, Vienna, 1992, pp. 144- 149.
• 3: J. Engelen and B. Bauwens, Large Scale Text Distribution Services for the Print Disabled: The Harmonisation and Standardisation Efforts of the TIDE-CAPS Consortium, in Rehabilitation Technology, Strategies for the European Union, Proceedings of the Ist TIDE Congress, Brussels, April 1993, edited by E. Ballabio et al., IOS Press, ISBN 90 5199 131 2, pp. 24-29.
• 4: ISO 8879: 1986 Information processing~Text and Office systems--Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML). International Organisation for Standardisation.
• 5: ISO 8613: 1988 Information processing--Text and Office systems~Office Document Architecture (ODA) and Interchange Formats. International Organisation for Standardisation.
• 6: J. Engelen and T. Wesley, SGML~A Major Opportunity for Access to Information. The Seventh International Conference: Technology and Persons with Disabilities, CSUN Los Angeles, 1992, pp. 593-598.
• 7: N. Ayres and T. Wesley, Open Document Architecture~An Opportunity for Information Access for the Print Disabled. The 3rd International Conference on Computers for Handicapped Persons, Vienna, 1992, pp. 556-56 I.
• 8: Eric van Herwijnen, Practical SGML, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Norwell, MA, 1990
• 9: A Gentle Introduction to SGML, in Guidelines for Electronic Text Encoding and Interchange (TEl P3), edited by C.M. Sperberg-McQueen and L. Burnard, The Text Encoding Initiative, 1994. Up to date information can be obtained from L. Burnard, Oxford University Computing Services, 13 Banbury Road, Oxford, OX2 6NN. The latest documents can be retrieved from the tip site maintained by the SGML Project at the University of Exeter: sgmll.ex.ac.uk.
• 10: The latest information about the International Committee on Accessible Document Design (ICADD) can be obtained from the President, Michael G. Paciello, 110 Spit Brook Road, Nashua, NH. USA 03062, phone: + 1 603 881 1831, Email: Pacie!lo@ Shane. Enet. Dec.Com.
• 11: S. Carruthers, A. Humphreys and J. Sandhu, Rehabilitation Technology in the United States and its Impact upon the Creation of a Viable European Industry Sector, in Rehabilitation Technology, Strategies for the European Union, Proceedings of the I st TIDE Congress, Brussels, April 1993, edited by E. Ballabio et al., IOS Press, ISBN 90 5199 131 2, pp. 189-193.
• 12: ISO 12083: 1993 Information processing--Text and Office systems--Electronic Manuscript Preparation and Markup. International Organisation for Standardisation.
• 13: CAPS Deliverable Dl, Development of SGML Associated Specifications, August 1993 and Addendum to Deliverable DI, November 1993. Obtainable from the Coordinator { l}.
• 14: B. Bauwens, J. Engelen, F. Evenepoel, C. Tobin and T. Wesley, SGML--An Enabling Technology for the Reading Impaired, SGML Europe '94. Montreux, Switzerland. Database Publishing I,td, Swindon, UK.
• 15: Y. Rubinsky, Example of document using DTD for the print disabled. SGML Europe '93, Rotterdam, Database Publishing Ltd, Swindon, UK.
• 16: N. Ayres, ODA - State of the Art Report. CAPS internal report, February 1993; Structured Editors- Existing Systems and Techniques Report. CAPS internal report, August 1993. Obtainable from the Coordinator { 1 }.
• 17: Full details of the HARMONY Consortium can be obtained from the Coordinator, Professor Jan Engelen at the Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium.
• 18: European Interchange Format, CAPSNEWS DTD, Version 2.0, November 1993. Obtainable from the Coordinator {1}.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  I. Computing Methodologies
  I.2 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
      I.2.7 Natural Language Processing
          Subjects: Text analysis

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.1 MODELS AND PRINCIPLES
      H.1.2 User/Machine Systems
          Subjects: Human factors

  I. Computing Methodologies
  I.7 DOCUMENT AND TEXT PROCESSING
      I.7.1 Document and Text Editing
          Subjects: Languages**

General Terms:
Algorithms, Design, Documentation, Human Factors, Languages, Standardization