Why do I need a DAISY player? Isn't my screen reader good enough?

You might be wondering why you need another tool. And why you can't use your favorite screen reader or other AT software to read a DAISY Book. DAISY is an electronic document format designed specifically for accessibility. Screen readers and most other assistive technology are intended to work with content designed with accessibility as an afterthought. DAISY Digital Talking Books provide navigation, voice synchronized with text, multimedia support, and other features that make it the format of choice for accessible educational content. In short, it will give you a better reading experience. However, you will need a DAISY player to realize that advantage.
 

Do I need to buy MathDaisy?

MathDaisy is a tool that is used by the teacher or professor to convert educational content and classroom materials into DAISY books for their students. The student does not need MathDaisy at all, only a MathPlayer™-enabled DAISY player.
 

What is a MathPlayer-enabled DAISY player?

A DAISY player is software that reads a DAISY book. It enables you to navigate the chapters and sections of the book and read its content. However, not all DAISY players handle mathematical equations. Since you are interested in math, this is important to you. MathPlayer adds Design Science's math-to-speech technology to a DAISY player. You should make sure that any DAISY player you purchase is MathPlayer-enabled for the best math reading experience.
 

Which DAISY player works best?

At this time, the two leading DAISY players both are MathPlayer-enabled:

• ReadHear PC
• Dolphin EasyReader

We expect new MathPlayer-enabled DAISY players to be released soon so check with each vendor. Even if a DAISY player is MathPlayer-enabled, it may not support all MathPlayer features. Here are the features to look for when shopping for a DAISY player. Some of these may matter to you more than others, depending on your particular abilities and preferences.

• math display: Display expressions in standard mathematical notation
• math speech: Speaks math so that it is understandable
• scalable math: Mathematical expressions draw as clearly as text when magnified
• sync highlighting: Parts of mathematical expressions are highlighted as the words for that part of the expression are spoken
• braille support: Mathematical expressions are presented on the refreshable braille display in a mathematical braille code
• expression navigation: Can navigate the mathematical expression to repeat parts of it or better understand the expression

If you want to find out more about these capabilities, see What are the technology issues involved in making math accessible?
 

What do I tell my teacher or professor?

Once you have a MathPlayer-enabled DAISY player, you should request all your classroom materials, textbooks, etc. in the DAISY format. Make sure to say that the math must be accessible, not just the text.