A Comparison of Digital Libraries for the Visually Impaired in the United States and Japan

Abstract

Visually impaired individuals face significant challenges in mobility and acquiring information, resulting in difficulties with education, employment, and daily life. Human-computer interaction technology, such as screen readers and digital libraries, have the potential to improve accessibility and transform the lives of visually impaired people. In the US, Bookshare, National Library Service (NLS) and learning arai provides accessible content to people with print disabilities, while in Japan, the SAPIER Library and the Data Transmission Service for the Visually Impaired of the National Diet Library are major information services. The Americans with Disabilities Act defines a person with a disability more broadly than Japan's NLS, which issues certificates for fixed medical conditions. One significant difference between the US and Japan is music copyright, with the US allowing visually impaired individuals to use music materials, while Japan's accessibility to higher education and music lags behind. The author, a visually impaired person in Japan, is launching a digital library using HCI technology in collaboration with the National Diet Library to provide electronic books and music resources for higher education.