The role of DAISY digital talking books in the education of individuals with blindness: A pilot study

The present study is characterized as pilot and investigates the impact that different aural renderings have on blind individuals’ comprehension. In specific, the present research attempts to compare the effective or active listening of participants with blindness when they use different media; that is, digital talking scripts through synthetic speech and DAISY standard respectively. Five participants with blindness were invited to listen to matched scripts through DAISY technology and screen reader software respectively. The results revealed significant differences in participants’ comprehension when they listened to digital talking scripts through DAISY standard and screen reader software. The participants applied more complex navigational routes and their responses towards comprehension questions were more correctly when the scripts were rendered through DAISY technology rather than through screen reader software. It is argued that DAISY technology could prove to be vital aid in blind individuals’ schooling and workplace. Finally, the results from this study support that further research has to be done especially on qualitative basis in order to document the parameters of the impact that aural technology, such as DAISY technology, have on blind students’ understanding and development of their literacy skills.

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