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blueIRIS was recently introduced by the Chair of Talking News Association as "the future".
In a unique community based partnership BFWSB to develop alternative and innovative ways to move its operations into the 21st Century. The Talking News Service is staggering, creating 32,000 tapes a year and with some 200 volunteers supporting the creation and distribution. They cater for around 2000 visually impaired people locally.
Cassette tape duplication machines are increasingly expensive to source, and with high support overheads, alternative needed to be explored.
Using web technologies and starting with a group 15 volunteers, blueIRIS was created as a streamed interactive service for spoken and audio content. It allows users to access a growing content base over the internet, employing clever voice technologies to empower the visually impaired user. Computers are not the only way that the content can be accessed, as recently a range of devices have expanded use. Having explored the use of iPod previously, blueIRIS is now mobile through Podcasting.
With clever backroom management software and automated workflows, blueIRIS is unique, and deserves wide recognition for the users and the partnership.
The user base has now swollen to 200, and the reaction af all who see and use it has been amazing.
I commend blueIRIS for this award.
John Rudkin
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