Audio - which type is right for you?

A2i now offer a wide range of Audio services. To help you choose which would be the best option for you and your customers, here is a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of each type.

Audio CD (wav files)
The most widely-accessible type of audio. These CDs contain up to 80 minutes of recording. They can be played on all types of devices including CD players, car stereos and computers. However, if your document is long then more than one CD may be required for one document. A2i produce Audio CDs in this format as standard – please just let us know if you would like a different option.

Audio CD (mp3)
These CDs contain up to 800 minutes of recording, so are popular for long documents that might otherwise require more than one CD to fit all of the text.
They can be played on computers, and also on mp3 compatible CD players and stereos (these will display the mp3 logo). Older equipment will probably not be compatible. If your document is less than 80 minutes in length a CD with wav files may be better (see above), as it is likely to be accessible to a wider audience.

Podcasts
A2i will send your audio document to you on mp3 CD, and you then broadcast the recording on your website. A podcast can be played by your customers directly from your website, or easily downloaded to a computer or to a personal audio player such as an ipod or mp3 player.

This is a popular option if your document needs to be widely available publicly, but you do not have a specific contact list to send it to. As a new format, this service will appeal to companies that are aiming their information at a younger audience in particular. However, people who do not have internet access will be unable to access your information.

Daisy (Digital Talking Book)
This is a new audio format produced on CD that requires a specialist Daisy player or computer software to access the document. Daisy is a very user-friendly format as users can not only skip between tracks, but can easily move between sections, sub-sections, paragraphs, and even sentences and print page numbers. Daisy is becoming more and more popular because of the navigation structure and its compact nature (approximately 800 minutes of audio fit on one CD).

Daisy can also combine audio with accessible electronic text. This is a very useful tool if a sighted person needs to look at the document with a visually impaired person. They can see the text on screen whilst listening to the audio. The corresponding portions of text are highlighted as they are read out.

Audio Tape
Cassette tapes are still used by a large proportion of our customers. They remain popular as people have often used this format for a number of years, and they can use the tone indexing system for navigating the document. They contain up to
92 minutes of audio, so if your document is long then more than one tape may be required for one recording.

If you would like further information about A2i’s audio services, please go to http://www.a2i.co.uk/audio.html Alternatively, please email us at info@a2i.co.uk or call us on 01179 70 70 90 to discuss your requirements or to request a quotation.

Fine for taxi driver who refused lift to blind man

A taxi driver, who refused to give a lift to a blind man and his guide dog, has been taken to court under the Disability Discrimination Act.

The incident, which happened in Nottinghamshire, highlights the fact that the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) covers all sorts of service provision - and those that break it will have to face the consequences.

Initially the driver claimed he could not give the man and dog a lift as his religion prohibited him from carrying dogs. He was reported to the council, and then claimed he refused the lift as he was allergic to animal hair. Although he later produced a letter from his GP to confirm the animal hair allergy he was fined £300 and ordered to pay £150 in costs after he admitted breaking the Disability Discrimination Act. He was also told to pay a £15 victim surcharge.

Taxi drivers need to apply for an exemption to carry guide dogs if they have medical reasons not to carry them - and the driver has now done this. However,
his initial claim that he could not carry the passenger and his dog because of his religion was not a satisfactory reason to refuse the lift.

For more information about the Disability Discrimination Act, and your responsibilities under it, please go to A2i’s website http://www.a2i.co.uk/DDA.html

Customer quote

"Faultless, professional and efficient - will recommend highly to colleagues in need of similar services."

Evan Reynolds
Housing Policy Officer
Reading Borough Council