特定非営利活動法人 支援技術開発機構
ユニバーサルデザインと支援技術で実現する知識と情報の共有
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特定非営利活動法人 支援技術開発機構
ユニバーサルデザインと支援技術で実現する知識と情報の共有
The National Council for Persons with Disabilities of Egypt organized a seminar within the framework of the International Cairo Book Fair, entitled “Introduction to DAISY: Challenges and Opportunities,” on the 30th of January 2025. The seminar included representatives from various perspectives: library, user (student), publisher, and copyright expert. The attendees included students from Helwan University, parents of children with disabilities, and book fair visitors interested in accessibility.
The seminar began with an introduction to the DAISY standard as a solution for access to information for persons with print disabilities, including a live demonstration of a DAISY title to highlight its key features. This was followed by a recap of efforts made in Egypt since 2017 to promote the ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty, highlighting the challenges as well as the efforts, activities, and projects accomplished to ensure the right to read for persons with print disabilities.
Image1: Speakers as well as attendees sitting on the roundtable during the seminar.
Following this intervention, Dr. Mina Ramzy, Head of the Central Administration of the National Library and Archives of Egypt (NLAE), highlighted the efforts of NLAE in the JICA project to establish a team for the production of DAISY publications and provide library services for persons with print disabilities through their section, which includes Braille, DAISY, and audio titles. He stressed that this is collective work that can only be accomplished with a national strategy driving it. He also added that DAISY should be implemented in educational materials, as it not only serves persons with disabilities (PWDs) but is a format for everyone.
Representing the copyright perspective, Dr. Ahmed Saeed, an expert in Intellectual Property Rights, explained what copyright is in simple terms and its relation to copyright law in Egypt. He mentioned that although Egypt has not yet ratified the Marrakesh Treaty, it is possible to benefit from other articles in the law that could support conversion to accessible formats. He noted that it is possible to reproduce a work for educational purposes without permission from the author. Concluding his talk, he stressed that the Marrakesh Treaty addresses many of the copyright limitations and that its implementation could resolve many current obstacles.
Menna Wael and Nourhan El-Sayed shared their experiences as students at Cairo University who managed to create a DAISY book for one of their textbooks to support a colleague with visual impairment. They described the challenges as well as their success story. They continue to advocate for accessible publishing, give workshops at the university, and produce accessible textbooks in DAISY.
Image2: Cairo University students sharing their experience with DAISY
Dr. Atef Ebeid, Founder of Batana Publishing House, expressed his interest in DAISY as a standard for electronic publishing. He added that publishers are often unaware of such technology, which represents a solution for reading digital content not only for PWDs but for everyone. He emphasized that providing access to PWDs is essential while protecting the rights of authors. Supporting publishers to engage in accessible publishing is a win-win solution for all.
Image3: participants and speakers of the seminar in discussion
Engineer Wael Hammam shared his experience as a trainee in the DAISY JICA project and mentioned that a protocol has been signed between MCIT, NCPD, and other stakeholders in Egypt to collaborate on accessible book production, though activities have not yet begun.
The seminar was successful in achieving its goal of addressing challenges of access to information for PWDs and exploring solutions and ways to move forward. It was clear that the Egyptian stakeholders are now aware of the issue of access to information for PWDs and are willing, within the space provided, to take further steps.
Reported by Y.Y