Norman Coombs, CAO, EASI (Equal Access to Software & Information)
Disability Area: Topic Area:
Length of Session (in hours): 1
Format: Lecture
Expertise Level: Beginner
Type of session: General Conference
Summary of Session
Starting with well-structured documents, anyone can create EPUB-format E-books using the Open Office Writer and the free EPUB extension. EPUB is becoming an accessible option
Abstract
The EPUB extension for open office writer will enable anyone to produce EPUB content, and the merging of the EPUB standards with DAISY standards promises the availability of more reading matter for readers with disabilities. Building navigation features into e-book formats is essential to provide a meaningful reading experience for all users. Now instead of \'scrolling\' down through a document, e-readers facilitate both skim reading and the ability to locate items in the middle of the document. Providing different header level also shows the reader how paragraphs and sections relate to each other clarifying the meaning of the content. Thinking through the structure of a document in advance helps the author organize his ideas and use organization to aid the reader in following what the author wants to communicate.
Kepoints
Accessible documents must begin with content that is well-structured
Just as there has been a Word-to-DAISY add-in to create DAISY from Word, now EPUB documents can be authored using Open Writer and its EPUB extension.
The EPUB 3 standard will include significantly more DAISY-like features
Speaker Bio(s)
Beth Coombs
Norman Coombs
Norman Coombs, Ph.D. is the CEO of EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information) as well as professor emeritus from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He pioneered RIT`s distance learning program and was chosen as New York State CASE, `Teacher of the Year` award in 1990. in 2000, he was the recipient of the Francis Joseph Campbell Award of the American Library Association for work in helping libraries to meet the needs of customers with disabilities. He is the author of 3 books: Black Experience in America (1972) Information Access and Adaptive Technology (1997) Making Online Teaching Accessible (2011).