In order to organise the tests of the JRC-ISIS Exploratory Research VOICE Project (described at Annex 2) and the dissemination of the results in several countries, we enlarged our group, proposing to the Institute for Computer Science of the Johannes Kepler University of Linz and to the Institut für Hör- und Sehbildung (IHSB) of Linz to join us. We prepared a proposal for an Accompanying Measure, which we submitted to the EC Telematics Applications Programme Call in April 1997. The proposal: VOICE - Giving a VOICE to the deaf, by developing awareness of VOICE to text recognition capabilities, has been selected and we are at present (April 1998) in the last negotiation phases for starting the Project.

The Project will disseminate the awareness of the capabilities of voice to text recognition systems, by an Accompanying Measure playing a technical and social role in collecting information and presenting it in a coherent way. JRC-ISIS is acting as scientific and technical co-ordinator of the Project and is developing several specific aspects of the research. FBL software house, which is experienced in applications of speech recognition to the disabled, is developing additional software and integrating it into the demonstrator to turn commercial speech recognition packages into user-friendly programs modelled on the requirements of the users. Each step of the activity is discussed and checked with ALFA and CECOEV associations of the deaf in Milan. Kepler University examines the Italian results, verifying their validity in Austria and helping IHSB in the Austrian validation phase.

All the phases of the project will be developed with continuous and tight participation of the users. Several European conferences and workshops will be organised with the aim of helping them to discuss their needs with the industry and services providers: TIDE Congress, Helsinki, June 98; ICCHP Conference, Vienna and Budapest, August 98; HANDImatica, Bologna, November 98; Austrian Meeting, Linz, first semester 99; European Workshop, JRC-Ispra, second semester 99. The demonstrator will be presented and used for generating prototype live subtitling for the deaf who are taking part in the conferences. The meetings will not only concern the technical aspects, but will also try to bring the manufacturers and producers closer to the users' needs.

The linguistic aspect of the software packages has been considered and software packages already available in several European languages have been chosen. Since most of the IT packages are produced in English language, JRC-ISIS is testing them in English and the users are doing it in Italian and German, so as to cover different linguistic approaches. The acquired know how will be made available for applications in the other languages. Some contacts have been already established with the University of York and the NDCS association in UK, French ANPEDA and Belgian APEDAF and TELECONTACT, which showed interest in participating to the Project. As a complement to the VOICE Forum, a VOICE Special Interest User Group is being created and will hold its first meeting during the ICCHP-98 Conference, providing the Project with a larger audience.

The Project proposes not only the promotion of new technologies in the field of voice to text recognition, but also to stimulate and increase the use of new, widely diffused technologies, namely the Internet. The objective is that of uniting, by means of an Internet VOICE Forum, associations, companies, universities, schools, public administrations and anyone else who may be interested in voice recognition and who could benefit from this research. The Forum will become an intermediary between the different concerned groups and will help in collecting information on the user needs and on the validation of the prototype demonstrator. It will enhance collaborative work between technicians and non-technicians and will help in disseminating the results.

A VOICE Discussion Forum and a VOICE Chat Line will allow exchanging formal or informal messages and chatting on aspects related to the Project and also in other fields. This should convince the participants, and particularly the deaf users, of the effectiveness of the Internet as communication tool.

• The Netd@ys VOICE Project;
• Annex 1: Applications of voice to text recognition for the deaf:
  User needs and state of the art;
• Annex 2: European dimension: the JRC-ISIS Exploratory Research VOICE Project;
• Annex 3: The VOICE Project - a Telematics Applications' Accompanying Measure;
• Annex 4: The VOICE-Schools Project;
• Annex 5: Partners and activities of the Netd@ys VOICE Project;
• Annex 6: Tasks of the Netd@ys VOICE Project;