Auckland, New Zealand — Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Microsoft Corp. today joined with industry and advocacy group leaders worldwide to unveil new software that will make it easier for anyone to create documents and other content that is accessible for blind and print-disabled individuals.

The new ‘Save as DAISY XML’ translator, designed for Microsoft Office Word 2007, will allow users to save Office Open XML-based text files into DAISY XML, the foundation of the globally accepted DAISY standard for reading and publishing navigable multimedia content. The ‘Save as DAISY XML’ add-in was created through an open source project with Microsoft, Sonata Software Ltd., and the DAISY Consortium and can be downloaded by Microsoft Office Word users for free at www.openxmlcommunity.org/daisy .

Also available today is the next version of the DAISY Pipeline – a free download that will allow user to seamlessly convert DAISY XML into the DAISY Digital Talking Book (DTB) format. These technologies allow a free, all-in-one solution for converting text documents into accessible formats for those with print disabilities. Download the DAISY Pipeline at www.TBD.com.

Organizations such as the World Health Organization and the World Blind Union estimate that more than 160 million people throughout the world are either blind or have a significant impairment to their vision. This number does not even begin to address the additional hundreds of millions of people with physical, developmental, or learning disabilities who can benefit from the rich applications of DAISY.

Global access to the ‘Save as DAISY XML’ add-in for Microsoft Office Word is an important step forward for people with print disabilities, including those in developing countries, as it will support access to information contained within billions of Microsoft Office Word documents, helping them to lead more independent and productive lives.

The release of the new ‘Save as DAISY XML’ translator and DAISY Pipeline has been welcomed by Mary Schnackenberg, Divisional Manager Adaptive Support at the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind.

“It is great to see Microsoft and the DAISY Consortium collaborating to make more information more accessible for more blind people. Less than 5% of information published in print is made accessible to blind people. This is another important step on the way towards leveling the information playing field.”

The new ‘Save as DAISY XML’ functionality for Microsoft Word has the potential to break down barriers for millions of visually impaired individuals and enhance the experience for virtually anyone who loves to read, said Chris Capossela, senior vice president of the Information Worker Product Management Group at Microsoft.

“We are proud of our collaboration with the DAISY Consortium and Sonata Software to deliver valuable benefits for people with a visual impairment. This tool will make it easier for anyone — from a child writing to his or her grandparent, to a government agency providing vital information to its citizens — to create accessible content.”

Microsoft’s initiative to put ‘Save as DAISY XML’ in Microsoft Word is the first step to bring fully accessible content to people who are blind or print disabled throughout the world, said George Kerscher, secretary general of the DAISY Consortium. “We know that 70 percent of all information is created with Microsoft Word; this new plug-in provides an unprecedented leap forward in the world wide effort to make information available to all.”

“As an advocate of technologies that help blind and low-vision individuals, and as Chair of an organization managing a digital library based on DAISY XML formats, I can attest that this ‘Save as DAISY XML’ plug-in for Microsoft Office Word is a landmark development,” said Dominique Burger of BrailleNet Association.

“The ability to generate DAISY XML content from within an application used by millions of people around the world is welcome news for all who have been pushing for such a broad-reaching solution.”

This new tool also presents the opportunity for organizations and independent software vendors to consider ways in which the technology may be employed to meet the needs of those not yet served by text-only or audio-only formats. Corporations such as insurance agencies, healthcare providers and companies that publish training manuals require a method to deliver fully accessible documents to their customers and employees with different needs. For these organizations, the ‘Save as DAISY XML’ function is the breakthrough they have been waiting for.

The open source collaboration associated with the Open XML to DAISY XML translation project enables developers to utilize the source code and other resources for their own applications by accessing the SourceForge site at http://sourceforge.net/projects/openxml-daisy. Open XML adoption continues to grow throughout the industry across various platforms, including Linux, Windows, Mac OS and the Palm OS.