Table of Contents

Message from the President 3

Vision, Mission, Key Activities and Community 4

Vision 4

Mission 4

Key Activities 4

Community 4

2025: Year in Review 6

Developments 9

Special Projects 10

Training & Support 13

Member Spotlight 15

Financial Review 2025 24

Your DAISY Consortium Board 28

Message from the President

Access to information is never guaranteed; it is something that must be deliberately designed, maintained, and defended. True accessibility is achieved only when the diverse needs of readers are considered from the very beginning of the publishing process. The DAISY Consortium and its members actively promote accessibility at the source. Where this cannot yet be achieved, they bridge the gap by creating accessible versions of publications. At the same time, our collective ambition remains clear: access that is built in at source.

2025 was a pivotal year. Most notably, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) entered into application on 28 June 2025. This marked a turning point for digital publishing in Europe and served as a powerful signal globally. Accessibility is no longer optional or aspirational; it is a legal, technical, and ethical requirement. Although much work remains to be done before the goal is fully achieved, the effects are already beginning to emerge. In several cases, publishers and platform providers are increasingly building accessibility directly into their workflows, metadata practices, and quality assurance processes. This shift toward “born accessible” publishing aligns perfectly with DAISY’s longstanding vision and significantly improves both efficiency and reach.

Throughout 2025, the DAISY Consortium supported this transition with practical tools, trusted guidance, and active community engagement. Our open‑source tools—including Ace by DAISY, Ace SMART, Pipeline, Obi, and EPUBTest—continued to be widely adopted across mainstream and specialist publishing environments. The Accessible Publishing Knowledge Base and InclusivePublishing.org remained authoritative reference points for evolving accessibility requirements. These resources reflect DAISY’s role as a connector between standards, policy, and real‑world implementation.

Our standards and collaboration work also remained a cornerstone of our impact. DAISY’s ongoing contributions within W3C Publishing groups helped ensure that accessibility stayed central to the evolution of EPUB and related specifications. At the same time, special projects such as eBraille advanced toward practical deployment, bringing us closer to a modern, flexible, and sustainable ecosystem.

Community and collaboration continue to define DAISY. In June, our Board and General Meetings took place in Amsterdam, hosted by Dedicon alongside the Tactile Reading & Graphics Conference—an inspiring demonstration of international exchange and cooperation in the field of tactile reading. For the fall-meeting in November our Board met in Geneva, hosted by WIPO and the Accessible Books Consortium, reinforcing the close alignment between global policy initiatives and DAISY’s technical and strategic work.

2025 also brought renewal within our Board. We welcomed new Board members and organizations, including the Canadian DAISY Consortium and the Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind from Brazil, reflecting the breadth and vitality of our global network. I extend my sincere thanks to those who concluded their Board service, and to all who contribute their expertise, energy, and commitment to DAISY’s mission.

As we look ahead to 2026 and beyond, and toward DAISY’s 30th anniversary, our relevance has never been clearer.

Maarten Verboom
President of the DAISY Consortium

Vision, Mission, Key Activities and Community

Vision

People have equal access to information and knowledge regardless of disability; a right confirmed by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Mission

To develop global solutions for accessible publishing and reading, in partnership with civil society, publishing and technology industries, standards bodies and governments.

Key Activities

To achieve our mission, vision and goals we will:

Help creators, distributors & service providers of access-enhanced publications be more effective

Help DAISY Consortium member organizations to work together to deliver inclusion

Help authors and mainstream publishers build inclusion into their publishing processes

Help publishing, reading technology and content authoring tool industries to enable a great reading experience for people reading with their eyes, ears or fingers

Influence legal, copyright and standards bodies to make an efficient global marketplace that includes developing countries

Help governments, civil society and disabled peoples’ organizations to achieve their inclusion aims

Help people with disabilities benefit from the improvements

Community

The DAISY Consortium is the hub of a global community of organizations which works together to share expertise and collaborate to bring about the accessibility of published materials. The Member Spotlight section of this report highlights the accomplishments of a few of our members from around the world.

Caption: World map highlighting the DAISY Membership and communication network reach

2025: Year in Review

Welcomes and Recognitions

The DAISY Board and wider community benefit from the contribution of many people, and occasionally that dynamic changes, allowing a constantly fresh approach and always keeping the door open for new perspectives.

Our thanks to Dave Williams and Lara Marshall for their contributions to the Board representing RNIB, and we’re delighted to welcome Helen Atwere to the Board.

We thank Daniel Frelén of MTM who has represented the Swedish DAISY Consortium at the Board since 2022, and we welcome Martin Persson.

Thank you Daniel Dam Freiling who has been contributing to the Board on behalf of Nota, Denmark since 2021, a very warm welcome to Jonas Manley.

Our gratitude to Minna von Zansen for their many contributions representing the Finnish DAISY Consortium on the Board since 2018, we’re happy to welcome Juha Nurro to the Board.

We also had the pleasure of welcoming two new organizations to the DAISY board:

Canadian DAISY Consortium, a new coalition of organizations engaged in accessible formats across Canada, represented by Laurie Davidson.

Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind in Brazil, after being Associate Members of DAISY for many years have now become Full Members, welcome to Alexandre Munck.

No changes were recorded to the DAISY Team in 2025.

DAISY Board and General Meetings

In June 2025 our Board and General Meetings took place in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, kindly hosted by Dedicon, alongside the wonderful Tactile Reading Conference, delivering 3 days of presentations, workshops and discussion on all things accessible reading. It was a truly inspiring event for all participants.

Caption: photo of the Tactile Reading 2025 event team

Our November 2025 Board meeting was held in Geneva, Switzerland, kindly hosted by WIPO and the Accessible Books Consortium, alongside a meeting of the ABC Global Book Service. The DAISY Board meeting included a series of presentations in an open session which was live streamed via webinar to an international audience and made available to those unable to attend.

Caption: screen capture from the open board meeting live stream

Developments

DAISY leads several open-source development initiatives that deliver practical solutions to Members and the wider community.

Accessible Publishing Knowledge Base

Widely known as the definitive EPUB accessibility reference resource, the Knowledge Base is regularly maintained to ensure it reflects the latest best practices. Significant updates were made to the metadata materials to improve ONIX code list data and guidance on how to use the schema.org metadata.
https://kb.daisy.org/publishing

Ace by DAISY

Ace is the Accessibility Checker for EPUB, a tool widely used in both mainstream and specialist publishing. Updates were made to improve translations, including the addition of Japanese, and to update the underlying technology.
https://inclusivepublishing.org/ace

Ace SMART

The Simple Manual Accessibility Reporting Tool (SMART) is designed to aid people in reviewing an EPUB publication to perform manual accessibility tests. Updates included improvements to metadata presentation and review to support the accessibility metadata crosswalk.
https://inclusivepublishing.org/smart

InclusivePublishing.org

The leading resource on accessible publishing, the Inclusive Publishing website supports publishing professionals with the latest news and guidance, conveying international developments and relevant DAISY developments with the sector.
https://inclusivepublishing.org

Obi

Obi, is a leading audiobook creation tool, relied upon by many specialist organizations globally. The tool was updated with further improvements and bug fixes, adding new features that allow the use of AI voices from leading cloud services.
https://daisy.org/obi/

Pipeline

DAISY Pipeline is a powerful framework of conversion and analysis tools that deliver the core of many library services around the world. Provided in a user-friendly desktop App, and a mass-production ready command line, both flavors of Pipeline were updated throughout the year. In addition to addressing known issues, new features were added including eBraille support, and improvements to AI voice services.
https://daisy.org/pipeline/

Reading System Testing

EPUBTest.org is the reading system accessibility comparison resource used by developers and consumers to celebrate successes and identify issues in accessible reading. Throughout the year over 50 unique tests were logged, including different combinations of assistive technology and reading apps. Feedback on any issues were reported to the respective app developers enabling them to take action.
https://epubtest.org

WordToEPUB Tool

The widely used converter tool to create accessible EPUB files from Word documents received minor work to improve language support.
https://daisy.org/wordtoepub/

W3C Publishing

The DAISY team are active members of the W3C Publishing Groups and more broadly the W3C leadership, ensuring the focus of accessibility is maintained throughout. Contributions were made to the EPUB 3 family of specifications, including EPUB 3.3 and 3.4, EPUB Accessibility, EPUB Reading Systems, and Web publications.

The Accessibility metadata display guide for digital publication 2.0 was released to further improve how vendors share publication accessibility data.

DAISY staff contribute to the W3C advisory board and the Publishing Steering Committee to positively influencing strategic direction.
https://www.w3.org/publishing/

Special Projects

Accessible EPUB from Adobe InDesign

Facilitated by the DAISY Consortium, this group brings together technical experts from Fondazione LIA, Accessibility Library Celia, and DAISY Consortium Canada to drive improvements in accessible publishing. Through monthly consultations with Adobe’s engineers, the group provides the vital expertise needed to prioritize fixes, advise on solutions, and validate implementations. This partnership has successfully strengthened the EPUB export pipeline, allowing the publishing industry to produce high-quality, inclusive content more efficiently. By embedding accessibility directly into industry-standard software, the group continues to remove long-standing barriers for readers worldwide.

AI Special Interest Group

Following broad interest indicated by DAISY Members in the potential application of artificial intelligence in the creation of accessible formats, a special interest group was created to support member organizations as they learn, explore and deal with AI related challenges together. The topics addressed in the monthly meetings included benchmarking text-to-speech engines, PDF conversion tools, and automated image description workflows. Discussions also prioritized practical implementation, covering the development of prototypes and strategies for managing data privacy and AI service costs.

eBraille Project

The eBraille specification 1.0 was published in August 2025 and formally approved by the DAISY Consortium board in November. Support for eBraille was added to the DAISY Pipeline and many other popular braille tools are working to adopt the new standard, as are makers of refreshable braille displays.
https://daisy.org/ebraille/

EPUBCheck

The EPUBCheck tool is a conformance checker for EPUB, maintained under contract to W3C. A maintenance release was delivered to address identified bugs and add small enhancements.

https://www.w3.org/publishing/epubcheck/

European Inclusive Publishing Forum

We celebrated the European Accessibility Act coming into force in June 2025, being mindful that this is a milestone in a continuing journey of working across the publishing spectrum to encourage the adoption of accessible publishing practices. The Forum continues to provide a space for sharing best practices, news on regional challenges, and a place to find support in working with the publishing sector.
https://daisy.org/euipf/

Fido

Launched in April 2025, Fido began as a sandbox for DAISY members to explore the frontier of artificial intelligence. Throughout the year, it evolved into a versatile tool, facilitating rigorous evaluations in document conversion, image description, automated metadata, and advanced text-to-speech.

By the end of 2025, Fido moved beyond experimentation to become a component of accessible production workflows across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, streamlining the creation of inclusive content for diverse communities.
https://daisy.org/fido

MathCAT

MathCAT (Math Capable Assistive Technology) is an open-source library that transforms mathematical content into accessible formats through high-quality speech and braille output, while providing intuitive navigation within mathematical expressions. In November 2025 the board of the DAISY Consortium approved a 12-month pilot project to coordinate MathCAT development and evaluate long-term stewardship opportunities.

https://daisy.org/mathcat

Music Braille

Now in the implementation phase, the music braille project continues to widen the global network of practitioners, support the adoption of the tools, promote accessible music to mainstream publishers and share teaching resources.
https://daisy.org/music-braille/
https://daisy.org/accessiblemusicpublishing

User Requirements for DAISY Reading Apps

The DAISY Reading Apps User Requirements establishes comprehensive user requirements for accessible digital reading applications. This project was a close collaboration between DAISY Consortium members, people with print disabilities, accessibility experts, and developers of specialized reading apps. The requirements were developed over ten months of working group meetings, workshops, and discussions with developers and formally approved by the DAISY Consortium board in November 2025.

The development of this specification was proposed and financially supported by DAISY member Dedicon.

Training & Support

Throughout 2025 training was delivered as a mixture of in-person and online events supported by webinars, digital handouts and online learning systems.

three trainees are pictured sitting in a computer room working on course materials
Caption: photo of a training session taking place in Fiji

Training

We delivered a wide range of in-person and remote training courses in 2025, including:

Under contract to ABC, capacity building work was conducted with participants from Bangladesh, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Fiji and Soloman Island.

With support from Taylor & Francis, multi-country Accessible Book production training was conducted for participants from Eswatini, Ethiopia, India, Lesotho, Morocco, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

All groups receiving trainer-led tuition also benefit from continued technical support in the production of accessible formats, along with support for reading on apps and devices.

Work began on an Arabic project to expand language support in assistive technologies, and deliver training in low-income Arabic speaking countries.
https://daisy.org/training/

Guidance

Resources hosted on the DAISY website provide a diverse range of guidance in accessible format conversion, use of DAISY tools, reading system tutorials, and other useful assets. Many new guidance pages were added and updated, with a new Workflows area walking people through multi-step conversion processes.
https://daisy.org/info-help/guidance-training/

Online Training

The DAISY Learning site continues to provide free access to a range of courses, enabling guided self-study on a range of topics related to accessible publishing and reading.
https://learning.daisy.org/

Regional Networks

The DAISY Regional Networks are established with the mission to raise awareness, build capacity, and provide accessible reading and writing solutions for inclusion of individuals with print disabilities. New Regional Networks were established for Asia-Pacific and Arabic Countries, whilst the collaboration for Latin America is facilitated through a RELALIA, an existing collaborative network made up of organizations, entities, and agencies that come together to promote accessibility to books and information in accessible formats. Members and Friends in each region were invited to participate, alongside ambassadors working at the national level to help identify and address the needs of the region.
https://daisy.org/activities/projects/regional-networks/

Webinars

A series of monthly webinars were delivered in the countdown to the implementation of the European Accessibility Act, aimed primarily to support the wider publishing community in getting to grips with the practicalities of accessible publishing practices.
https://daisy.org/webinar-series/

Member Spotlight

Around the world DAISY Members have been actively serving their communities and developing new resources. We are delighted to include a few of their stories from 2025.

Acapela Group, Belgium

In 2025, Acapela Group continued to strengthen its commitment to accessible and inclusive communication, with a strong focus on blind and low-vision communities. Our solutions (TTS) were further enhanced to deliver more natural, expressive, and multilingual voices (SDKs v14 September 2025).

Many new voices were released through the year in multiple languages: English (UK), Italian, North American Spanish, Portuguese, Faroese.

We expanded collaborations with partners and accessibility advocates to improve inclusiveness. Our voices powered a growing number of screen readers, reading tools, and educational solutions worldwide through different partnership including the one with NVDA (Acapela TTS for NVDA v1.9.4 June 2025).

At the same time, we advanced our “My-Own-Voice” service, reinforcing our mission of preserving voice identity with privacy-first, offline capabilities, ensuring that inclusive technology remains ethical, secure, and user-controlled.

Together, these efforts empower users to access information independently and engage more fully with the world.
https://www.acapela-group.com/

American Printing House for the Blind (APH), USA

APH is a mission focused organization with a vision of making the world accessible and providing opportunity for everyone.

One aspect of our work has been The Dot Experience, a groundbreaking museum set to launch in 2026 that blends attraction, factory tour, and center for learning into a fully immersive environment. It is the first museum designed entirely around accessibility, shaped by people who are blind, low vision, DeafBlind, or have other disabilities. Visitors engage with exhibits through braille, tactile graphics, American Sign Language, visual descriptions, and more. No glass barriers, no off-limits objects, just immersive, hands-on discovery for everyone.

The museum highlights the human experience of blindness through powerful artifacts and stories, including Helen Keller’s writing desk, a piano played by Stevie Wonder, the first guide dog harness, and a rare 1829 book by Louis Braille. With exhibits tracing the evolution of braille and tactile learning from its origins to modern digital tools, and allowing interaction with braillewriters and talking books while exploring how innovation has expanded independence.
https://www.aph.org/

Benetech, USA

Benetech reached three major milestones in 2025. The Bookshare collection has grown past 1.4MM titles most of which are available in multiple formats. The collection grows by over 80,000 titles a year mostly via publisher donations. Bookshare member downloads passed the 35MM mark. A growing percentage of those downloads are in EPUB. The Globally Certified Accessible suite of services have helped over 100 organizations around the world. Benetech is also working on new technology with the Bookshare+ product.
https://benetech.org/

Boin Information Technologies, Inc., Republic of Korea

BOIN is a company conducting research on digital accessibility. In collaboration with the National Library for the Disabled, we have worked on a project that aims to produce books readable for people with developmental disabilities commonly referred to as “Easy-to-Read” books.

This project incorporates AI technology designed to generate Easy-to-Read content in accordance with the international standard ISO 24495-1. BOIN’s AI solution produces Easy-to-Read materials through the following process:

Analyzing the core meaning of the original text and restructuring it

Converting complex sentences and difficult vocabulary into clear and intuitive ones

Conducting automated quality review of the production

Through this process, BOIN helps improve information accessibility for individuals with developmental disabilities.

Caption: Illustration of AI converting complex original text into an easy-to-read version

The Easy-to-Read Solution Service is available to try online.
https://www.boinit.com/

Croatian Library for the Blind (CLB) / Hrvatska knjižnica za slijepe (HKZASL), Croatia

In 2025 Croatian Library for the Blind (CLB) celebrated its 60th anniversary which was marked with the central ceremony and accompanied with other smaller events all year around. Traditional events like Braille reading contest, Knowledge quiz, Short story contest and the Award for the achievements in the domain of culture, education, advocacy and literacy for blind persons were part of last year’s programs as well. Each year the cooperation with other institutions and NGO’s working in the field of production of accessible formats is stronger and resulting in bigger collection of titles for print disabled users. CLB will also remember this year for launching the first audio comic book, made to enhance the accessibility of materials needed for the National quiz for the promotion of reading. Another project that started was the digitalization of music sheets in Braille with the focus on the works by Croatian composers.
http://www.hkzasl.hr

DAISY Consortium Canada

In 2025, DAISY Consortium Canada (DCC) was established, bringing together five organisations serving people with print disabilities: NNELS, CELA, BAnQ, CAER, and CFLA. The DCC serves as a unified Canadian voice within the global DAISY community, providing a national forum to coordinate collaboration, share expertise, and contribute to international accessibility standards.

DCC Members worked jointly on initiatives including production of Indigenous language content, text-audio synchronization, and federal advocacy to protect equitable reading services such as free postage for the blind. The DCC also collaborated with national partners to deliver World Braille Day 2026, including a bilingual braille programming toolkit for public libraries. DCC Members were among the contributors to Accessible Content: A Guide to the Canadian Copyright Act on Searching for Accessible Formats and Producing and Distributing Alternate Formats. The guide provides a clear, practical overview of copyright law governing access to materials for people with print disabilities in Canada.
https://daisy.org/about-us/membership/full-members/daisy-consortium-canada/

DAISY Forum of India

The DAISY Forum of India primary member National Association for the Blind (NAB Delhi) has developed an innovative Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Library to ensure equitable access to literature for persons with print disabilities. This initiative addresses long-standing barriers faced by individuals who are blind, have low vision, or are otherwise unable to read standard printed material. Through a simple phone call, users can access a wide range of literary content including books, educational materials, and informational resources in an audio format. The IVR system has been designed to be user-friendly and accessible, enabling individuals across socio-economic backgrounds, including those without smartphones or internet access, to benefit from its services.

Shravan audio library poster showing a blind woman talking into her mobile phone to access the library
Caption: promotional image for Shravan interactive voice response audio library.

This service is being widely propagated by NAB Delhi across India and has witnessed significant outreach and impact, with over 64,000 registered users benefiting from the platform. The IVR Library represents a major step toward inclusive knowledge dissemination, aligning with the principles of accessibility and universal design.
https://daisyindia.org/

DAISY France

The year 2025 was a great year to celebrate Braille in France and all over the world, as it marked the 200th anniversary of its invention.

A three-day event took place in France from 13 to 15 November, organized by three members of DAISY France: the Fédération des Aveugles de France, the Association Valentin Haüy, and INJA.

On the first day, the French National Library hosted the symposium “Braille Writing: A Revolution Still in Motion!”. Three main topics were discussed: Braille and education, employment and the use of Braille in professional life, and reading Braille in the digital age. The closing session focused on the universality of Braille, with a speech by the Fundação Dorina Nowill para Cegos and a presentation on Braille’s inscription on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

 2025 also marked the entry into application of the European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) on 28 June 2025. The DAISY France group is dedicated to supporting this shift in digital accessibility, helping digital reading platforms move toward genuine inclusivity and providing fairer access to books and knowledge.
https://daisy.org/about-us/membership/full-members/daisy-france/

Dedicon, the Netherlands  

The Tactile Reading & Graphics Conference was an overwhelming success. Knowledge of braille and tactile reading is scarce, and the market is small. This makes international collaboration essential for innovation. Driven by this conviction, Dedicon organised the Tactile Reading & Graphics Conference 2025 together with Dutch knowledge partners at the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam.

Caption: photo from the Tactile Reading 2025 conference

The conference was fully booked, with 532 participants from 39 countries. Over three days, education professionals, designers, people with lived experience and accessibility experts immersed themselves in tactile reading and graphic accessibility. The programme featured keynotes, presentations, workshops and interactive sessions, and resulted in new insights, collaborations and projects.

The conference was opened by Princess Laurentien, who highlighted the importance of accessible information as a prerequisite for full participation in society. The enthusiastic responses from participants confirmed the power of knowledge sharing and working together on inclusive reading solutions.
https://www.dedicon.nl/

Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind, Brazil

Throughout 2025, Fundação Dorina Nowill for the Blind strengthened its commitment to promoting the social inclusion of people who are blind or have low vision, expanding access to education, culture, and autonomy through specialized services and accessibility solutions.

During this period, 2,215 individuals received habilitation and rehabilitation services aimed at fostering independence and full social participation, totaling 39,427 services provided.

The Foundation also expanded access to reading and information, with 3,000 downloads on the Dorinateca platform and 5,792 titles available. Additionally, 3,351 people were reached through the Employability Program, and 1,221 institutions were registered to receive accessible materials.

Another key highlight was braille production, with 11 million pages transcribed and printed, reinforcing the Foundation’s role as a national reference in braille production capacity in Brazil.

The Foundation also advanced its technology pillar, enhancing, developing and integrating artificial intelligence into its processes and services.
https://fundacaodorina.org.br/

Elsevier, UK

In 2025 Elsevier made a number of accessibility related improvements across the business including: rolling out alt-text and accessibility metadata to all our frontlist eBooks sold in Europe, along with the associated videos and ancillary materials. Remediating over 8,500 backlist books and set up an ‘on request’ service for the remainder. Implementing PDF tagging for our frontlist books and journals. Brought over 50 Elsevier apps and eBook formats into EAA readiness by the June 2025 deadline. Conducted validation of our new accessibility features with end users and implemented their recommendations. Launched a public repository of 90 VPATs/ACRs and product accessibility statements. Launched a formal, measurable process for integrating accessibility into UX design and software testing phases. Recertified our Benetech Globally Certified Accessible for Elsevier ePUB books. Expanded our accessibility training, including for our Sales, Legal, and Customer support teams.
https://www.elsevier.com/

Fênix Editorial, Brazil

In 2025, Fênix, through its publishing house Bennu, continued to expand accessible publishing in Brazil. We produced 100 Braille copies of the book “Saber comer e Brasília conhecer” (Knowing How to Eat and Getting to Know Brasília) by Paloma Gastal for free distribution.

As part of the PNLD (National Program for Books and Teaching Materials), we developed five accessible titles in HTML5 for the PNLD Equidade 2025 edition, which is currently under review. They will be distributed in accessible ePub format to form the collection for elementary and secondary schools, Youth and Adult Education (EJA) schools, and public and community libraries:

Água rasa;

Passarinho de gaiola também sabe voar;

Bolorie; Sonhos ancestrais;

Dom Queijada.

These works join our catalogue of accessible publications for the PNLD from previous years, reinforcing our commitment to inclusive educational materials for students with disabilities in Brazil.
https://fenixeditorial.com.br/

Fondazione LIA, Italy

With the entry into force of the EAA, LIA continued to support the publishing sector to meet accessibility requirements, through training, consultancy, international projects and the development of solutions and workflows based on the “Born Accessible” approach.

The APACE project, coordinated by LIA, received the prestigious ABC International Excellence Award for Accessible Publishing in the “Initiatives” category. Within the project, LIA organized 55 international events involving around 5,000 professionals worldwide, including webinars, in-person seminars, awareness-raising initiatives, and the first European Accessibility Summer School.

LIA also designed an innovative user-friendly visualization system for accessibility metadata to foster common standards for communicating digital accessibility. Its Catalogue, featuring now over 40.000 e-books, is the first catalogue world-wide compliant with the W3C Accessibility Metadata Display Guide: each title displays clear and intuitive accessibility information using the LIA icons system. LIA continued leading W3C working groups and providing consultancy to Adobe for the implementation of new InDesign accessibility features.
www.fondazionelia.org

Humanware, Canada

In 2025, Humanware launched the Stratus 2 in a few markets in Europe, ahead of the full launch in 2026. The Stratus 2 builds on many years of experience in developing DAISY format readers to deliver access to modern online library services.

photo of the Stratus 2 DAISY format player, with carry handle, speaker and an array of buttons for playback, navigation, volume, and power.
Caption: The Stratus 2 from Humanware

Humanware also released two updated versions of the Stream 3 software (1.4 and 1.5), and new versions of our Braille readers (2.4 and 2.5). Version 2.5 added support for audio through Bluetooth in the Mantis.
https://www.humanware.com/

National Library for the Disabled, Republic of Korea

On June 7, 2025, the National Library for the Disabled established the PDF Accessibility Guidelines – Part 1: Authoring Guidelines (TTAK.KO-11.0340) in order to promote and ensure the accessibility and usability of PDF files for digitally vulnerable groups. The guidelines were subsequently published as a group standard by the Korea Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA).

The PDF Accessibility Guidelines – Part 1: Authoring Guidelines sets forth major accessibility requirements specifically tailored to the characteristics of PDF documents. These include semantic tagging, appropriate treatment of visual elements such as figures and tables, specification of the correct reading order, and application of actual text properties.

This standard is intended to support the creation of accessible PDF/UA documents from the outset. It may also be used when retrofitting existing non-accessible PDF files with accessibility features. Furthermore, it is expected to serve as a valuable reference for a broad range of stakeholders, including developers of PDF viewers and screen readers, in enhancing both the interoperability and accessibility of PDF documents.
https://www.nld.go.kr

Sensotec, Belgium

Within its Online Audiobook division, Sensotec made significant strides in accessible reading. We developed, in collaboration with Tibi (NO), an innovative approach to making comic books accessible for readers with reading difficulties. By detecting text and images separately, readers can enjoy comics in a structured and intuitive way, preserving both story and visual context.

In addition, Sensotec started developing a Windows version of its application. This will enable smoother integration of Daisy solutions into educational curricula, supporting inclusive learning environments for students.

By connecting the Accessible Library of Anderslezen (BE) with the public library network, we simplified access to multiple services, bringing inclusive reading closer to the general public.

We have made listening to audiobooks via our hardware player, the Daisybox, even simpler by adding the EasyCover option for single-button navigation.

photo of the Sensotec Daisy box with EasyCover which masks the buttons and leaves just the rotary control available
Caption: Sensotec Daisybox with yellow EasyCover

This year also marks a breakthrough: thanks to our partnership with Vision Australia, the Daisybox is now officially available in Australia and is being provided to a large number of Vision Australia patrons. Extending accessible reading beyond Europe.
https://pro.sensotec.com

Taylor & Francis, UK

In 2025 Taylor & Francis continued to drive accessibility across the organisation, publishing 6,988 eBooks with 100% image descriptions. Since June we averaged 590 new EPUB3 vendor produced titles per month published born-accessible with 100% image descriptions. 200 Fixed Layout EPUBs were converted to EPUB3. 2,850 new eBook conversions to EPUB3. Updated ONIX accessibility metadata to include certified credentials and hazard warnings. Implemented processes to inject accessibility metadata directly into EPUB content. Developed internal AI tools for alt-text, MathML, and tables, integrating AI-generated image descriptions into all workflows with human review.

We also made progress on Journal accessibility, supported 802 alternative format requests, and worked to address accessibility issues across our platforms involving 97 manual audits in 2025 which equates to 539 hours across 40 products.
https://taylorandfrancis.com/

Financial Review 2025

Treasurer’s Report

The balance sheet, income statement, and auditors' reports presented in this Financial Report are a summary of the 2025 Financial Reports, which have been approved in their detailed form by the DAISY Consortium Finance Committee.

The Consortium finished the year with a $3,000 deficit. Our major sources of income continue to be split between membership and other sources. This year, the team secured additional sources of income from diverse sources. Securing long-term, high-value commitments from organizations remains a financial priority.

The deficit has decreased significantly from last year, which is an encouraging development. DAISY has reserves to support continued operations, and the team continues to work hard to balance the budget annually. The management team is developing a medium-term strategy to diversify income, achieve a sustainable budget, and build long-term financial resilience.

Alice O’Reilly
DAISY Consortium Treasurer

Independent Auditor's Report

Report of the statutory auditors to the General Meeting of the DAISY Consortium

As statutory auditors, we have audited the accounting records and the financial statements (balance sheet and income statement) of DAISY Consortium for the year ended December 31st,2025

These financial statements are the responsibility of the board of management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit. We confirm that we meet the legal requirements concerning professional qualification and independence.

Our audit was conducted in accordance with auditing standards promulgated by the Swiss profession, which require that an audit be planned and performed to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement. We have examined on a test basis evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. We have also assessed the accounting principles used, significant estimates made and the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the accounting records and financial statements comply with Swiss law and the company's articles of association.

We recommend that the financial statements submitted to you be approved.

Zürich, March 30,2026

BETSCHON TREUHAND AG
Christian Schmid
Auditor in Charge

Information on the principles applied in the financial statements

The financial statements are made under the provisions of the Swiss Accounting legislation, (Title 32 of the Code of Obligations OR) in particular the article on the account books and accounting of Swiss Accounting law (OR Art. 957-962).

Balance sheet and income statement are expressed in United States Dollars, rounded to the nearest thousand.

Balance Sheet as at 31 st December 2025

ITEM  | 2025  | 2024 
ASSETS  |  |
Bank  | 458 | 393
Accounts receivable  | 26 | 61
Accrued income  | -35 | -7
Current Assets  | 449 | 447
Capital assets  | 0 | 0
Fixed assets  | 0 | 0
TOTAL ASSETS  | 449 | 447
LIABILITIES  |  |
Accounts Payable  | 18 | 16
Accruals  | 14 | 11
LIABILITIES  | 32 | 27
Capital reserve  | 420 | 567
Current Year Surplus / Deficit  | -3 | -147
Equity  | 417 | 420
TOTAL LIABILITIES  | 449 | 447

Operating Income and Expense 2025 - Summary

ITEM  | 2025  | 2024 
INCOME  |  |
Full members  | 629 | 561
Associate members  | 60 | 73
Friends  | 181 | 101
Total membership Fees  | 870 | 735
Technical Training and Capacity Building  | 144 | 127
Externally Funded Projects  | 101 | 160
Miscellaneous Income | 87 | 93
Earned Interest  | 8 | 6
Total Additional Income  | 340 | 386
TOTAL INCOME  | 1,210 | 1,121
EXPENSE  |  |
People costs  | 937 | 939
Technical Standards  | 4 | 3
Reference Implementations | 25 | 24
Training and Technical Support | 46 | 98
Non-Technical Standards | 3 | 4
Member Services | 40 | 51
Communication and Marketing  | 37 | 36
Board Meetings costs | 63 | 49
Other Operational Costs | 29 | 44
Membership Fees paid  | 16 | 14
Bad Debts written off  | 13 | 6
TOTAL EXPENSE  | 1,213 | 1,268
BALANCE  | -3 | -147

Your DAISY Consortium Board

In 2025 the DAISY Board members were as follows:

Chairman of the Board: Maarten Verboom, Dedicon, The Netherlands

Treasurer: Alice O’Reilly, NLS/BPH The Library of Congress, USA

David Andrews, National Federation of the Blind, USA

Helen Atwere, Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), United Kingdom

Daniel Dam Freiling, Nota, Denmark

Laurie Davidson, representing the DAISY Consortium Canada, Canada

Daniel Frelén, Myndigheten för tillgängliga medier (MTM) Swedish Agency for Accessible Media, Sweden

Nicole Gaines, American Printing House for the Blind (APH), USA

Gumsook Hoang, National Library for the Disabled (NLD), Republic of Korea

Michael Johnson, Benetech/Bookshare, USA

Prof. Dr. Thomas Kahlisch, DZB (Deutsche Zentralbücherei für Blinde) Representing Media Association for Blind and Vision Impaired People – MEDIBUS, Germany

Hiroshi Kawamura, Assistive Technology Development Organization (ATDO), Japan

Myungsook Kim, National Library for the Disabled (NLD), Republic of Korea

Flavia Kippele, SBS Schweizerische Bibliothek für Blinde, Seh- und Lesebehinderte, Representing the Swiss DAISY Group, Switzerland

Arne Kyrkjebø, Norsk lyd- og blindeskriftbibliotek, Representing the Norwegian DAISY Consortium, Norway

Jonas Manley, Nota, Denmark

Lara Marshall, Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), United Kingdom

Francisco Martínez Calvo, Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles, O.N.C.E, Spain

Basile Mignonneau, Association Valentin Haüy, Representing DAISY France, France

Alexandre Munck, Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind, Brazil

Juha Nurro, representing the Finnish DAISY Consortium, Finland

Martin Persson, Myndigheten för tillgängliga medier (MTM) Swedish Agency for Accessible Media, Sweden

Dave Williams, Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), United Kingdom

Minna von Zansen, Celia Library, representing the Finnish DAISY Consortium, Finland