Pressroom: FableVision Parteners with CAST to Take on Accessibility Challenges

FableVision Partners with CAST to Take On Accessibility Challenges

Children’s Author/Illustrator Peter H. Reynolds’ New “Talking Book”, The City Garden, Blooms on DAISY Platform

BOSTON, MA. - Boston-based educational media developer and publisher FableVision has unveiled its first digital “talking book” title made accessible with DAISY 2.02 technology (Digital Accessible Information System.) Released in collaboration with CAST, a not-for profit education research and development organization, children’s book author/illustrator Peter H. Reynolds donated his book The City Garden free-of-charge as a way to support the growing DAISY movement. Reynolds says, “DAISY is a platform we believe in - with a powerful new way to “hear” what you are reading with a real human voice – and we want to help promote its widespread adoption.” The City Garden can be read by any DAISY 2.02 reader including CAST’s newly released eReader 3.0™, which also includes a new user interface designed in conjunction with FableVision.

CAST’s eReader 3.0, is the first text-to-speech tool to use both synthetic speech and human recorded voice to navigate a wide range of digital educational content and provides critically needed reading supports for young readers with print based disabilities. CAST has partnered with FableVision to help accelerate DASIY 2.02 content development for blind, visually-impaired, and struggling readers. The CAST eReader was originally developed in 1995 and is now used by over 80,000 students and adults to support reading of word processing, HTML and DAISY 2.02 documents.

First grade teacher Ms. Kimberly Rodriguez at the Wilcox Elementary school in North Ridgeville, Ohio has already used The City Garden and CAST’s eReader with her class. She reports, “eReader has made a major difference to some of my students that struggle the most.” Rodriquez continues, “With The City Garden and the warmth of a real human voice, DAISY technology keeps children engaged—and has turned out to be a priceless one-on-one tutor inside the class.”

FableVision’s first story book title called The City Garden was created and donated by award-winning children’s author/illustrator Peter H. Reynolds who founded FableVision eight years ago “to use media, storytelling and technology to help all students navigate their true potential.” As Reynolds remarks, “Our mission is to take care of all learners – and with the DAISY format we can support many more children who need assistance to enjoy a great story.” The free download of The City Garden is available at http://www.fablevision.com/services/projects/cast.html.

Along with over twenty years designing award-winning educational technology, Peter H. Reynolds also enjoys a thriving publishing career (http://www.peterhreynolds.com,) which includes his new book The Dot which was released in a 50,000 hardcover print run last October by Candlewick Press and already been printed ten languages, is in its third printing, has won the Oppenheim Platinum Toy Award, the Christopher Award, Borders Books’ Original Voices Award and has received starred reviews in industry bible Publishers Weekly, Booklist Journal and American School Library Journal. Reynolds other work includes his cornerstone work The North Star, the best-selling Judy Moody series by Megan McDonald (Candlewick Press), Eleanor Estes’ The Alley and The Tunnel of Hugsy Goode, Judy Blume’s Fudge series, and Ellen Potter’s Olivia Kidney.

About CAST
Founded in 1984 as the Center for Applied Special Technology, CAST is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to expand educational opportunities for all students, especially those with disabilities, through the development and innovative uses of computer technology. As a leading-edge educational R&D organization, CAST has developed pioneering software such as WiggleWorks™ (with Scholastic), Bobby™, Thinking Reader™, and CAST eReader™. Its researchers have defined and tested the concept of Universal Design for Learning as a way of making curricula more accessible to all students. For more information, please visit www.cast.org. To try a 30-day demo of eReader 3.0, go to www.cast.org/eReader. The City Garden comes with the free 30-day demo and can be played on other DAISY 2.02 readers.

About FableVision
Identical twin brothers Peter and Paul Reynolds founded award-winning children’s media company FableVision in 1996. FableVision’s mission is to use media, storytelling and technology to reach, support and inspire ALL learners. FableVision enjoys partnerships and co-development relationships with a wide range of museums, publishers, and broadcasters, including CAST, Houghton-Mifflin, Research Institute for Learning & Development, Baltimore Children’s Museum, the W5 in Ireland, PBS, TSP/Scholastic, Carnegie Hall, and NOGGIN. Their award-winning software includes the BrainCogs: Test-Taking Survival Kit and Stationery Studio: Customized Stationery for Young Writers, which was recently named Scholastic Instructor Magazine’s TEACHER RAVES 2004 “Best Products” For more information about FableVision, please explore www.fablevision.com.

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