| TECH EDGE
By John M. Williams
Reading is one of the greatest pleasures of my life. I devour novels, history books, biographies of great men and women, and short stories. Edgar Allen Poe and Mark Twain are my favorite short story writers. Their writings transport me either backwards or forwards into different eras. I would develop mental apathy if I could not read.
At 63, it is difficult for me to read type smaller than 10 point. I sometimes use a magnifying glass to read. One of the most frustrating areas for me when reading is dealing with hyphenations when the word goes into the next line. I find myself skipping the line where the word begins and then going back.
For years, I have been searching for alternative reading services that will allow me to maintain my quality of life that I cherish. Rather than buying hardcover and paperback books, I am seriously turning my attention to reading books electronically and listening to them in an audio format.
A company called Read How You Want (www.readhowyouwant. com) seems to have anticipated my needs and provides content in various accessible formats. Not only do I benefit from these different formats, but so do millions of others who need to access content in an accessible format. Developed and tested over many years by its Australian parent company, Objective Systems Party Pty Ltd, RHYW’s technology has been optimized for maximum readability. For example, rather than simply enlarging text, the company’s Easy Read printed books have been re-typeset and optimized to improve word recognition and ease eye tracking by adjusting word and line spacing and minimizing hyphenation. Such services reduce eye strain, reader fatigue, and loss of concentration.
By providing specialized services, individuals with dyslexia, macular degeneration, and low vision can remain avid readers. I have read that RHYW electronic versions—eBooks, MP3, DAISY (Digital Accessible Information Systems) and Braille are set up according to the specific type of player while audio formats allow the listener to select the optimum voice, speed, and pitch.
As a fan of audio books, (I have 22 audio books), I see these services as beneficial to me and millions of others who love reading. For researchers, (I love looking at footnotes because they tell me the author has researched the subject )—RHYW’s technology allows it to create new, complete editions—including indexes, footnoted, tables, diagrams, and images quickly and at a low cost.
RHYW has revolutionized book publishing by tailoring the formats individuals require when reading. Thanks to RHYW, thousands of books (novels, textbooks, etc.) are available and eventually tens of thousands and more will be on the market. These books are easy to order and are affordable. Besides adding to the joy of reading, RHYW’s technology expands educational and career opportunities for people with disabilities. Now that’s revolutionary!
John M. Williams blogs about assistive technology at www.atechnews.com. He can be reached at jwilliams@unitedspinal.org.
