Developing an improved, pleasant Dutch computer voice

Voice of the Netherlands

Many blind and partially sighted people rely on a screen reader: software that uses a 'computer voice' to read out digital information displayed on screen. As a screen-reader user himself, Jesse is acutely aware how out-of-date the available Dutch computer voices now are. "Before starting the project, I asked a number of blind and partially sighted people whether they felt the same as me, that it was time for a new computer voice," says Jesse. "The answer was a resounding 'yes'. At Royal Visio, the charity I work for, we focus a lot on digital access and digital service innovation. The Voice of the Netherlands fits in well with those activities. The idea was hatched after conversations with Timon, one of my Visio colleagues. We soon made contact with Maarten Lens-Fitsgerald, who had recently set up the Dutch-language Speech Coalition – a public-private partnership of organisations, enterprises, universities and other institutions working to develop speech technology in the Dutch-speaking world. The Coalition is making expertise available to support the Voice of the Netherlands." "Broadly speaking, the project involves three phases. Phase one consists of a user needs survey. What do potential users want the new voice to sound like? And what protocols and technical requirements does the voice need to conform to in order to work with their screen-reader software? Blind and partially sighted people can take part in the survey on or off line. Phase two is the development phase. We'll produce a test version of the voice based on the user needs and technical requirements identified in the survey. For the development phase, we're partnering with VoiceBranding, an agency that specialises in matching voices to the expectations and preferences of particular audiences. Finally, in phase three, we'll use the products of the previous phases to create a validated prototype Voice of the Netherlands and a plan for realisation, publication, promotion and maintenance. We're currently just getting started with phase one."

Open-source availability

"All over the world, blind and partially sighted people use screen readers with computer voices," explains Jesse. "And a lot of those voices are just as outdated as the ones available in the Netherlands. It's a common problem in non-English-speaking countries. We want the Voice of the Netherlands to be compatible with the screen reader protocols and APIs. An API is an interface that enables information exchange between software systems in the Netherlands and elsewhere. The ones we're interested in are APIs that enable people to add new voices to screen readers. We're looking into ways of making it as easy as possible for app developers and screen-reader users to integrate the new voice into their software. We plan to make our research results and the voice itself freely available in open-source form, so that anyone can use them. There's already interest from Belgium, where they'd like to develop a Flemish voice on the basis of data similar to the data we'll be using for the Dutch voice."

Support from SIDN Fund

"In 2021, we heard about the Inclusion and Accessibility - Participating in the digital society call organised by SIDN Fund," continues Jesse. "It looked like an ideal opportunity to get our idea of developing a new computer voice off the ground." The aim of the call was to further promote the accessibility and inclusivity of digital services, websites and apps, so as to make things easier for people with disabilities. "Financial support from the Fund is covering the cost of the user survey and development of a prototype Voice of the Netherlands. At meetings organised by the Fund, we've also been able to build relationships with other initiatives with similar aims."

Anne Valkering, Project Coordinator at SIDN Fund: "SIDN Fund wants everyone to share the benefits offered by the internet. And that depends on the internet being accessible to everyone. A twenty-year-old, robotic computer voice is a barrier to access, whereas a voice that meets the needs of the visually impaired would improve access for a large group of people. It would make it easier for blind and partially sighted people to participate online. Another plus from our viewpoint is that Jesse and his team plan to open-source their results and share them internationally, increasing the project's reach considerably."

Accessibility and inclusion

"I hope that development of the Voice of the Netherlands, a voice that meets the needs of blind and partially sighted people, is just the first step," adds Jesse. "Ultimately, I'd like to develop multiple variants of the voice. Male and female voices, for example, and voices with different tones for formal and informal applications. We also want to help people in other countries follow in our footsteps by developing a really good voice and making it available on an open-source basis. That way we'll be contributing to an accessible and fair digital society everywhere." Want to know more about the Voice of the Netherlands? Visit www.stemvannederland.com or contact Jesse Wienholts by mailing jesse@stemvannederland.com.