March 2011 - Bookshare Blog

Published March 31, 2011

Bookshare Opens the Door to Women’s History

March is Women’s History Month in the United States. Since 1987, this month has been officially designated as a time to honor the numerous contributions women have made to society. It’s also a time to learn about the important role women have historically played in shaping the world we live in today. Did you know? * The 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote, passed on August 26, 1920. * Women’s History Month began in California in 1978 as Women’s History week. * In Canada, Women’s History Month is celebrated in October. * International Women’s…

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Published March 25, 2011

Want to Read? Earthquakes and Tsunamis

The triple tragedies in Japan of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accidents have touched the hearts and minds of all around the world as we feel their pain and realize how quickly the world can change. The tragedies pose many questions. What causes earthquakes and tsunamis? What special attributes are true of Japan and the Japanese people that will help them survive this devastation and recover from it? We thought we’d pull a few titles from the Bookshare collection on earthquakes, tsunamis, and Japan for those wanting to read more. Brief extracts from the book synopses indicate age level, if a…

It’s about COMMUNITY

Community is very important at Bookshare. Student members, parents, teachers, and advocates all contribute to a vibrant Bookshare community that continually strives to support our children. This blog post focuses on the many ways students and families can participate in the Bookshare community. Bookshare in the community Although Bookshare is a small California nonprofit, we do all that we can to get out and meet families around the U.S. Often, we do this by attending and providing trainings at conferences and events. Last month, we attended two notable conference events for families. The PEAK Parent Conference on Inclusive Education…

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day, celebrated all around on March 17th, is an Irish holiday honoring Ireland’s patron saint of Ireland. We have very little factual information about him, and many tales made up by story tellers. Many customs are associated with St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. For example, why do we wear green and decorate with Shamrocks? Bookshare has lots of books about St. Patrick’s Day! Below is a sampling of a few of the titles with short excerpts from the book synopsis. There’s something for every age. Jeremy Bean’s St. Patrick’s Day by Alice Schertle. For very young children, this book…

A Very Special Collection: The Schneider Family Book Award

Credit goes to Carrie Karnos, Bookshare’s Manager of Scanning and Proofing for this post and the collection. The Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. Three annual awards of $5000 and a framed plaque are given in the following categories: birth through grade school (age 0–8), middle school (age 9–13) and teens (age 14–18). (Age groupings are approximations). The book must emphasize the artistic expression of the disability experience for children and or adolescent audiences. And the book must portray some…

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Published March 7, 2011

What We’re Reading: Mardi Gras and a Celebration of New Orleans

My first trip to New Orleans was when I was just out of college. A group of us went to celebrate Mardi Gras. During that trip I fell in love with the city, the people, the sights, the sounds, the smells, and the architecture. It was magical to me. So many of the people we met came from families who had been in the city for generations. They told stories that captivated us. We learned about voodoo, about creole, what etouffee was, and we heard stories about what the city used to be like “way back when.” We met shop owners, restauranteurs, artists, gypsies,…

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Published March 2, 2011

The Power and Role of Technology in the Field of Learning Disabilities

Many excellent paper-based tools exist to teach reading to students with learning disabilities (LD), and for years, educators have relied on them. At the LDA conference in Jacksonville last week (February, 2011), I decided to explore the power and role of technologies such as digital books and content in addition to paper-based approaches in the LD field. The consensus of the hundred-plus educators attending my session entitled “Get Ready for Digital Books” was that the LD profession recognizes that digital books and content are here. The question is not “are you ready,” or do you want to incorporate digital content,”…

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Month: March 2011

Bookshare Opens the Door to Women’s History

Want to Read? Earthquakes and Tsunamis

It’s about COMMUNITY

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day

A Very Special Collection: The Schneider Family Book Award

What We’re Reading: Mardi Gras and a Celebration of New Orleans

The Power and Role of Technology in the Field of Learning Disabilities