Spoken Music: Enhancing Access to Music for the Print Disabled

Abstract

The traditional approach taken to the provision of music for the print disabled by major organisations has been largely concerned with Braille music. Reading Braille music is a specialised skill and not all visually impaired people can do this. There are some technologies available which allow the print-disabled to service themselves but there remains a lot of work to be done in this area. FNB has developed a new approach, called Spoken Music. The Spoken Music system can cope with a range of music, from elementary to professional levels, which can be very complex indeed. Opportunities for collaboration clearly exist as organisations move towards common standards (such as DAISY) and as digital distribution channels multiply.