Software opens up new world for blind
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
"I love the Internet because it opens up new worlds for me, anything I want to know about is there, and thanks to screen reader I don't have to depend on others to understand," said 18- year-old M. Ikhwan Toriqo as he accessed more websites.
Glaucoma robbed Riqo of his vision when he was only 11 years old, and before the Internet and the screen reader software, the lanky high school student was dependent on others to be able to access any printed information.
"I like reading about computer stuff, it doesn't come in audiobook form. Novels I get through audiobook, but since most are in English, I don't really understand them either," Riqo, who wants to study IT at university but is unsure whether any will admit a visually impaired student, told The Jakarta Post.
A lack of reading materials for the visually impaired -- particularly popular literature in Bahasa Indonesia -- is one of the biggest obstacles for the blind who want to get ahead in this country.
"They say that books are the window to the world, but there is hardly a publisher here that produces popular books in both print and audio forms," Mitra Netra Foundation deputy executive director Irwan Dwi Kustanto, said.
Himself suffering from reduced vision -- only 2 percent of his eyesight remains -- Irwan remembers the frustrations of having to always ask another person to read to him.
The foundation has been developing audiobooks since 1992, which to date total more than 3,000 titles -- mainly instruction manuals and school textbooks. But compared to the number of books being printed each day in the world of the people with full vision, the blind cannot keep up.
"The cost of producing an audiobook is quite high -- for the recording studio itself, hiring someone who is a good enough reader -- we are only able to produce a maximum of 20 books a month," Irwan said.
On the other hand, digital books read through a screen reader were much cheaper, easier and faster to produce. All they needed were volunteers to retype the printed books into Microsoft Word format.
Which is why, Mitra Netra Foundation launched the One Thousand Books for the Visually Impaired program early this week.
"We ask volunteers to set aside some time in their hectic schedules to retype the books they choose themselves and send them to us through e-mail or post," Irwan said, adding that the foundation has the support of Samsung DigitAll Hope for the initial 300 books.
A list of books that needed to be retyped are available through www.mitranetra.or.id/ebook, but volunteers may also suggest their own titles. The foundation only requires the books to be popular literature, in Bahasa Indonesia and published in or after 2000, to provide the blind access to the latest trends and information.
"We don't want to always be the last to know. As it is, we can only listen to others talk of how great some new books are, without having immediate access to them," Irwan said.
The retyped books will then be edited and converted into a form that the blind can access -- audio with the help of a screen reader software for the blind, and magnified letters for those with limited vision.
The finished product will then be distributed through four special libraries for the blind in Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, and Makassar.
"Because the digital talking books need special computer software, they can only be accessed through computers in the libraries," Irwan said, explaining that the foundation has also been training the blind to use the computer and the Internet.
He also said that since the books are for the noncommercial use of the visually impaired, copyrights are waived according to the 2002 Law No. 19 on Intellectual Property Rights.
For more information on the program, please contact Mitra Netra Foundation, Jl. Gunung Balong II No. 58, Lebak Bulus 3, South Jakarta. Tel. 021-7651386, 75913480, Fax 021-7655264.